Arsenal wonderkid Charlie Patino scored his first goal on loan at Blackpool on Saturday, opening the scoring against Milwall at the Den. It marks an impressive return from injury for the youngster, who had his early start with the club set back after suffering from an ankle issue.
The 18-year-old midfielder will be hoping he can continue to progress with the Seasiders as part of his development into senior football, having had a slight taste of that with the Gunners last season. Blackpool manager Michael Appleton has already been full of praise for the youngster on his start to the campaign.
"I think the fans have taken to him already," Appleton said in August. "They've obviously got a couple of songs about him - I've heard one of them. Listen, he'll be great. He's got good ability, and as long as he learns to use his touches at the right time and doesn't take too many touches, then he'll learn quickly, and he'll get better and better."
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There are high hopes for Patino, who is looking to be the latest star from the Hale End academy. Mikel Arteta has already looked to make the most out of his youth prospects, enhancing the development of the likes of Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah.
The England youth international got his first taste of senior football with Arsenal last season, featuring in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, scoring against Sunderland in the latter off the bench. Should he continue to impress with the Tangerines, Patino will be giving Arteta plenty to consider.
His loan deal contains a recall clause in January, opening the possibility of a return to be fighting in the Arsenal team or perhaps at a different level. That said, previous quotes from the manager suggest against that possibility, claiming that he needs to continue slowly.
In December, he said: "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."
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