Ryan Bennett is excited to be part of the new wave of emerging talent at Norwich City.

The England U21 defender was an unused substitute in the weekend's Premier League defeat at Stoke just days after linking up with his team mates for the first time.

Bennett's January window move came attached with a final month's loan service to his former club Peterborough, but the 21-year-old already feels at home in Norfolk.

Fellow transfer window arrival Jonny Howson made his Canaries' debut at the Britannia in a midfield featuring Anthony Pilkington and Elliott Bennett to underline Paul Lambert's commitment to blooding youth.

'I'm 21 so there are a lot of players in and around my age here,' said the ex-Posh centre back. 'The lads have been brilliant to me already and I hope we can continue that on the training pitch and stick together and get the results we need.

'I knew the surroundings anyway from being a young lad and playing for Ipswich and coming down here, but it's finally nice to be here after a long time. I think that's something I've always been used to, being at Peterborough. There was a young squad there. Over time, it gives you the chance to gel together and the team can then stay together. I think that's what's benefited this team, being together for a long time now. I hope I can come in and join that.'

Lambert's buying policy was criticised last summer, but the lack of relative top flight experience has yet to prove a decisive factor with City still 13 points clear of the bottom three approaching the final run-in.

'Ian (Culverhouse) and I made a decision where we thought we are not going to be able to afford people on thousands and thousands of pounds a week who have that type of experience,' said Lambert. 'The club has been littered with it in years gone by when people have come for a lot of money, something goes wrong with the football club, and they leave.

'We had to change that and bring in ones we felt might get around the football pitch for us and try to win games.

'They are young and if you can keep the football team together for a few years more then hopefully they will get better and better.'

Bennett believes age should be no barrier both at domestic and international level after being fast-tracked into the England U21 set-up by caretaker boss Stuart Pearce.

'A lot of good players who were in the U21s a year or two years ago are finally getting their senior chance,' said Bennett, who had to settle for another watching brief in last week's emphatic 4-0 Uefa 2013 U21 Championship qualifying win against Belgium. 'I'm sure there's a lot of players in there now with a lot of quality and it won't be long before they get their chance as well.'