Henri Lansbury's goal celebration at Leeds on Saturday was extravagant enough that it threatened to overshadow the strike itself.

The Arsenal youngster's equaliser was his third goal in four games – and as far as manager Paul Lambert is concerned, he can do what he wants as long as he keeps rattling them in.

'The only thing I approve is when the thing hits the net,' he said. 'That's the only thing – they can do what they want. If they score I don't care what they do after that.'

Lambert's own playing era spreads two decades to 2006 and clearly didn't include Lansbury-style responses to goals.

'It's the modern day game,' he said. 'It's not like when Joe Jordan scored, the hand was just up in the air, or Dalglish or Bobby Charlton. Now, lads know these sort of move things, whatever they do. If you are asking did I do it? No.'

But what you see on the field with Lansbury isn't always what Lambert sees off it in the corridors at the Colney Training Centre.

'I never hear him speaking,' Lambert said. 'I don't think he's like that when he's in among his own group. He is a really quiet lad, but deep down I think he is a confident lad.

'I never saw his celebration until I saw it on the telly. I am pretty sure Henri is a confident lad – I think you must be when you are at the club he's at. I don't think you'd be a shrinking violet at Arsenal, I think you'd be able to handle yourself and I think he can handle himself outside and I think he can handle himself on a football pitch.'

Lansbury is one of those unable to crack the current Premier League squad at Arsenal, but has enough about him for manager Arsene Wenger to allow him out on loan to bring his game on.

'We are not going to benefit from him because he's not experienced – we're getting the young side of him,' said Lambert. 'It's when he's mid-20s, 26 and 27 then wherever he is playing that's when he starts to have a lot more game knowledge, but I am sure his parent club will teach him that.'

Lansbury is an almost certain starter tonight, when City can correct their 3-1 loss at Doncaster earlier in the season.

'I know they have some injuries, but they are still a dangerous side and we have to perform to win the game,' added Lambert.