Goal hero Lucas Joao hopes new manager Steve Bruce will help him fulfil his potential at Sheffield Wednesday

Joao claimed his ninth goal of the season to give the Owls a hard-fought 1-0 win at relegation-haunted Ipswich Town in Bruce's first match in charge.

The 25-year-old, who has been with Wednesday since the summer of 2015, stepped up off the bench to bag a 90th minute winner. Joao, the Owls' leading goal-scorer, tapped home from close range after great play out wide by Adam Reach.

The Portugual international has struggled for consistency and to hold down a regular starting spot at Hillsborough in recent years.

But Joao believes four-time promotion winner Bruce will help him finally fulfil his potential.

"He (Bruce) is the first English manager I have worked with," Joao told The Star. "It will be a different experience and I hope he will help me grow up as a player.

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"I think he can help take my game to another level. I will work hard in training to become a better player."

Bruce, appointed Jos Luhukay's successor on January 2, delayed his arrival until the end of last month after he promised his family he would take a break following the loss of both his parents in quick succession in 2018. He also underwent two operations following his sacking from Aston Villa last October.

But since taking over the reins at Wednesday, Bruce has wiped the slate clean and pledged to give all his squad a chance to impress.

Joao said: "The new manager has just arrived and it was important to win to start to build something.

"He wants us to work hard and run more than the other teams, which is important in this league. He wants us to show our quality when we have the ball."