It didn't take long for Charlie Patino to discover what Championship football is all about. Within the first 10 minutes of his Blackpool debut he found himself smashed to the floor by Stoke City's Josh Laurent in a manner simply not seen at under-23 level.
This baptism of fire is something every academy player has to deal with as they make the step up to senior football. The time in possession at youth level is no longer there and the consequences for each and every mistake suddenly sky rockets.
Upon being thrown into the deep end some players will panic and sink, while others will find their composure and begin to swim. Thus far Patino is certainly falling into the latter category.
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The Hale Ender continued his impressive start to life on loan at Blackpool with a goal and an assist in the West Lancashire Derby victory over Preston at the weekend. While Patino's name as has been on the radar of many since his goal scoring senior debut against Sunderland last year, the fact that he is doing this well in the Championship has come as a pleasant surprise to many.
There have never been any doubts over his technical capabilities, but when it came to his physicality there were some worries. Despite standing at just over six-foot tall, Patino does not posses the strength of similarly prodigious players in his age group like Carney Chukwuemeka or Jude Bellingham and with this in mind, many wondered if exposing him to senior football at this stage in his career was best for his development. Thus far though, he has been dealing with the step up well.
"He's taken it in his stride," says Lancs Live's Blackpool correspondent Sean McGinlay. "He’s combative, puts himself about well and is happy to do the dirty work alongside his clear technical ability."
While moments like Saturday's derby goal are undoubted highlights, it has been far from smooth sailing for Patino during his time in the north west. Just four games into his loan spell, the 19-year-old suffered a freak ankle injury that would rule him out for a month.
For many players such a significant setback could have caused their confidence to spiral, but Patino's quiet belief in his own ability has stood him in good stead. Rather than over-compensating for lost time and panicking on the pitch, he has come back and calmly played his way into becoming a regular starter for Michael Appleton's side.
Interestingly, since his return to the team, Patino has begun to be used in a slightly different role. Whereas at the start of the season, the 19-year-old was playing as a six, Appleton has chosen to move him to a more advanced eight position in recent matches, with the experienced Liam Bridcutt sitting behind him.
With this increased security, Patino has begun to to influence games more in the attacking half. As well as grabbing goals and assists, he leads the Championship for ball recoveries per 90 in the opposition half (4.24) and is developing nicely into a more complete midfielder.
As well as developing on the pitch, Patino is also growing off it. At just 19, he is experiencing living away from family for the first time and has thrown himself into the experience. He has won the affection of many due to his humble attitude and will rarely ever refuse a request for a selfie. After the derby victory on Saturday he popped in to a few sponsors rooms at Bloomfield Road to meet fans and is keen to engage with the community whenever possible.
For a club like Blackpool whose supporters have rightly felt completely undervalued in recent years, stuff like this really matters and be it through an amusing chant or supportive Twitter messages, the Tangerine faithful have taken Patino under their wing.
The feelings of adoration are very much mutual. "It's amazing," he said of the bond he's struck up with supporters in an interview with BBC Radio Lancashire on Saturday. "I love the fans here. They're always supportive of not just me but the whole team."
Many would like to keep him permanently, but as he continues to impress in the Championship that will be difficult. They do at least appear set to have Patino for the remainder of the season, with Arsenal unlikely to trigger the January recall clause in his loan move as things stand. What happens for the 19-year-old beyond that, however, remains slightly up in the air.
Patino's contract is set to expire at the end of this season, although Arsenal have the option for a two-year extension before a certain point in the coming months. Despite being delighted with how he is progressing at Blackpool, football.london understands that the Gunners are yet to trigger this at time of writing.
Patino, who has been with Arsenal since joining them at the age of 10, would be happy to stay with, but as the Gunners continue to stall he is attracting plenty of interest from clubs in England, and given his Spanish passport, he is an attractive proposition for several teams in Europe too.
For now though, he is focusing on continuing to impress with Blackpool. While the start to his loan spell has been hugely promising, it's worth noting that he has only played 12 matches so far, and sustaining this form across the season is the next challenge he has overcome. Judging how he has dealt with every other challenge he's faced this season though, you feel that he's well placed to kick on.
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