Arsenal midfielder Charlie Patino has earned the praise of Rio Ferdinand for his decision to leave the club in the summer.
Standard Sport reported on Monday that the 19-year-old will be put up for sale after making clear his desire for first-team football, which is not expected to be on offer to him at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners are likely to seek a buy-back clause in Patino’s exit with clubs across British and European football interested in his services.
Following a loan spell at Blackpool, former England defender Ferdinand believes the youngster has the taste of senior football and has made the right decision to try his luck elsewhere.
“I think he’s a serious player”, he told his YouTube channel FIVE. “He’s been on loan at Blackpool, played 25-30 games and shown another side to his game; tactially, being more combative.
“With the ball, there’s been no doubts whether he’s technically ridiculous.”
He added: “Obviously, Arsenal wanted to trigger a clause that they could keep him and sign another extension until 2025. I think it’s testament to the kid.
“For young kids, it’s a big point in their career. Sometimes, when a club offers you a deal, it’s not always the best-case scenario to stay and wait and wait and wait.
“I think, sometimes especially when you go out on loan, you get that taste of playing men’s football in front of fans and in stadiums, and to think you’re going to back and play [Under-]23s football, sometimes, it’s like, ‘I can’t go back to that’. You’ve got to be brave.”