Arsenal earned their place in the fourth round of the EFL Cup last night with a win over Wimbledon, but many turned out in hope of seeing a debut performance from youngster Charlie Patino.
The 17 year-old has been tipped as the brightest prospect to set foot in their academy, rated higher than the likes of Jack Wilshere and Bukayo Saka amongst some of the coaches, and he was tipped to get his chance to make his mark in last night’s League Cup clash with lower-league side Wimbledon.
Unfortunately there was no space in the 18-man matchday squad for Patino however, much to the disappointment of fans, but the manager explained his reasoning after the full-time whistle.
Arteta on Patino: "He was very close [to being involved tonight] but at the end we decided some players needed some minutes. It will happen, naturally, with time. We will prepare him."
— Sam Dean (@SamJDean) September 22, 2021
You can be forgiven for believing his promotion looks unlikely now with Premier League side Leeds coming up in the next round of the competition with the winner earning a place in the quarter-finals of the competition, although we could still get a favourable FA Cup draw later in the year.
Will Patino likely have to wait until next season for his senior debut, or could his work behind the scenes convince the manager that he deserves his chance?
Patrick
If we are beating Leeds comfortably in the next round of the EFL cup, which would be difficult, Patino can be brought on in the second half as a sub. Going by his performances, I feel it is sooner rather than later he will be playing for his debut. Hoped to see him against Wimbledon, it was the ideal platform for him, but his time will surely come, such an exciting prospect.