Former England striker Paul Mariner has tipped Reggie Lambe to become the ‘poster boy’ of Bermudian football.Toronto’s director of player development has high hopes for Lambe, whose career he has followed closely since the winger first joined Ipswich Town as a teenager.“I’ve followed Reggie for a long, long time. Two of my friends, Julian Rose and Charlie Withers-Clarke, who both live on the Island and are massive Ipswich fans, sponsored Reggie when he was in England and always told me to keep an eye on him,” said Mariner, who also played for Ipswich.Lambe will become the first Bermuda player to grace the MLS since his mentor Khano Smith, who spent several seasons at New England Revolution during Mariner’s stint as an assistant coach.And Mariner, who won 35 caps for his country, believes Lambe has the potential to become a bigger talent than Smith, whose 85 appearances for Revolution included two successive MLS Cup finals.“I think Reggie has an amazing opportunity to become the poster boy of Bermudian football,” said Mariner.“In my heart of hearts I believed that Khano Smith could have become that but he didn’t quite manage it.“I know I’m sticking my neck out here but I think Reggie can do really well for us. Within the first ten minutes of seeing him train with us last year you could what a talent he is.”Mariner feels Lambe is tailor made for the MLS and has backed him to have an immediate impact at the BMO Stadium.“I think TFC and the MLS will suit Reggie. We play a 4-3-3 with a legitimate wide guy and there will be a lot of balls switched early so he will have a lot of time and space,” Mariner said.“Personally, I’m looking for hm to make an immediate impact although there are a few boys ahead of him at the present moment.“Hopefully he will come in and knock some doors down and not be all meek and mild because, as I’ve said, he can definitely be the poster child of Bermuda football and have a massive influence on the youth of the Island.”Despite failing to make the grade at Ipswich, Mariner is confident Lambe can still carve out a career in English football as long as he makes the most of his opportunity in North America.“Reggie can go along way in the game and the Island really needs to someone like him to inspire the other young players,” Mariner added.“I think this could be a stepping stone for Reggie and if he does what I think he can do, he can achieve a lot in football.“There’s no reason why Reggie can’t go back to England, back to Europe, because he’s still very young.”Toronto have largely been starved of success since they joined the MLS in 2007, failing to reach the playoffs in each of their five seasons, although Mariner is confident brighter days are ahead under coach Aron Winter.“It’s a tremendously exciting time for anyone joining the club. We’re going to be announcing some big signings and we’ve addressed the defensive situation,” he added.Paul Scope, a close friend of Mariner, helped facilitate Lambe’s move to Toronto and also believes the youngster can have a strong impression in the MLS.“I think the MLS will suit Reggie’s style of play and really hope he can go out there and set the league alight,” said the Bermuda Hogges owner.