Gutsy one turned out to be most junior (8)
I believe the answer is:
youngest
'be most junior' is the definition.
('young' can be similar in meaning to 'junior')
'gutsy one turned out' is the wordplay.
'turned out' indicates anagramming the letters.
'gutsy'+'one'='gutsyone'
'gutsyone' with letters rearranged gives 'YOUNGEST'.
'to' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for youngest that I've seen before include "Most youthful" , "baby" , "Least old" , "Least elderly" , "delivered most recently" .)