Football journalist Charles Watts has claimed that ‘people behind the scenes at Arsenal’ will be pushing for Charlie Patino to make his senior debut soon.
The talented 18-year-old has already caught the eye in recent times with some dazzling displays within the Gunners’ academy setup.
However, as of yet, he has not made an appearance for the club’s first team. An ankle injury has kept him from pushing any closer in the past month or so, but after he recently returned to fitness, Watts has claimed that an upcoming Carabao Cup tie could provide a chance for Patino to step onto the pitch for Mikel Arteta’s senior side.
While speaking on his YouTube channel, he explained: “Some good news on Charlie Patino, he made his return [on Monday] after that ankle injury for the Under-23s.
“I think he’ll certainly have one eye on that Sunderland game in the Carabao Cup quarter-final coming up at the Emirates. I think that we might see Patino involved in that one.
“The idea is certainly for next season for him to be in and around the first-team picture, but you kind of want to integrate him before that. [Arteta] resisted the urge against Wimbledon.
“Then Patino was injured for the game against Leeds when he might have been involved. He’ll certainly be pushing, there will certainly be some people behind the scenes at Arsenal, I think, who will be pushing Mikel to maybe get him involved in that game.”
TIF Thoughts on Charlie Patino and Arsenal…
The Carabao Cup match against Sunderland takes place in December just four days before Christmas, and a debut would certainly be a great early present for Patino.
Will Charlie Patino be Arsenal's next academy star?
Yes
No
Although, given he is still so young, there’s no rush to push the teenager into the limelight – after all, he’s probably only just stopped believing in Santa Claus.
But with Arsenal set to lose some senior midfielders in January – such as Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny – due to the Africa Cup of Nations, now could be a great time to integrate the youngster into the squad.
In other news: James McNicholas draws Eboue comparison with ‘diabolical’ Arsenal star