Mikel Arteta is considering handing young gun Charlie Patino his first senior start when Arsenal visit Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup on Sunday, according to football.london.
The Gunners travel to the City Ground as the two clubs begin their runs in the competition. Arsenal will be aiming to better last season’s disappointing exit in the fourth-round as the defending champions. They clinched a record 14th title in 2020 after beating rivals Chelsea.
Nottingham Forest also bowed out in round four last year after losing 5-1 at Swansea. They have not advanced beyond a second fixture since 2014, when they reached the fifth-round.
Arteta will be without a few Arsenal midfielders against Steve Cooper’s Nottingham Forest. Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny are away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Ghana and Egypt. Granit Xhaka is also a doubt, leaving Albert Sambi Lokonga as Arteta’s only option.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles is unlikely to feature as he should seal a loan transfer to Roma before the weekend, the Express report. Striker Folarin Balogun is also set to join Middlesbrough.
Arteta to include Patino in Arsenal FA Cup plans vs Nottingham Forest
Partey, Elneny, Xhaka and Maitland-Niles’ absences has left Arteta considering giving Patino his first senior start when Arsenal visit Forest. The Spaniard will include the 18-year-old Hale End talent in his plans regardless, but may open the third-round tie for an orthodox option.
Arteta awarded Patino his senior debut in the Gunners’ Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Sunderland last month. He played the final 10-minutes and scored their fifth in a fantastic, yet brief, showing at the Emirates Stadium.
Patino only featured in one of Arsenal’s subsequent two Premier League matchday squads and failed to feature from the bench. He has, however, caught the eye in Kevin Betsy’s U23 side with a standout role over 12 PL2 appearances.
The England U19 international has also caught Rio Ferdinand’s attention. The Manchester United icon said on BT Sport (01/01, 11:42): “Go on YouTube and watch his clips. It’s a joke what you see. The talent he’s got.
“I’ve spoken to people at Arsenal and what they say about him, in terms of this kid talent-wise, he could potentially be the best of the lot that’s come out in recent years.”
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