Blackpool boss Michael Appleton has hailed Charlie Patino as "outstanding" and promised Arsenal fans that the teenager will return to north London with a bright future ahead of him.
Patino, still just 18, has already racked up seven Championship appearances to start an impressive first loan spell away from the Emirates. His latest star showing came over 90 minutes in Blackpool's hard-fought 0-0 draw away to Sunderland on Tuesday, prompting Appleton to heap praise on the loanee.
"18 years old he still is, he can deal with the ball in any area of the pitch, go past people left side, right side," the Tangerines manager waxed lyrical post-match, as Blackpool stopped their rot of three successive defeats. "I said when he came to the club he's as good as anything I've seen dealing with the ball and with good movement of the ball as you've seen tonight he can play as a six, can play as a ten, can play as an eight.
"He's got a really, really good future ahead of him... I thought he was outstanding tonight, especially in that second half. He controlled the game, it was his game, he played at his tempo when he wanted to speed it up he sped it up, when he wanted to slow it down he slowed it down, when he wanted to switch the play he did it. It was a very mature performance from a very young lad."
It's not the first time that Patino has received helpings of praise during his loan spell on the Lancashire coast, which will no-doubt be fed back to Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta. Having handed him his senior debut last December, Arteta has high hopes for the England under-20 ace, who scored on international duty last month.
On his aforementioned Gunners debut, Patino bagged a goal in a League Cup quarter-final clash - coincidentally against Sunderland - but a level-headed Arteta was keen to let ensure the hype didn't go overboard. "[It was] a beautiful moment," the Arsenal manager told his club's website. "He is a kid that is coming through our system, a lovely kid. He is training with us almost every week.
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"It was a dream. As a debut to come here, to score in front of our fans, a really special moment. I think that is very positive [that the fans were singing his name]. They heard about him and know what he can become and now we have to cook him slowly. Today was a good start, I think.
"[Too much hype around him] is what we have to avoid. He still has a lot of competition in front of him. He is really young. And he needs to go step by step. Today he was lucky, he got the opportunity and he took it really well."
