Arsenal fans were delighted to see Charlie Patino in first-team training at London Colney yesterday.
Patino called up
Patino seems to be edging closer and closer to becoming a first-team regular at Arsenal after showing promising form in the youth team.
The teenager scored on his senior debut against Sunderland in the League Cup and it seems that Mikel Arteta has kept him around the first-team now.
Indeed, with Arsenal preparing to face off against Manchester City on New Year’s Day, Patino appears to be in Arteta’s plans, which has excited Gunners fans.
Will he play against City?
Whether he will be chucked in against the Premier League champions remains to be seen, but he certainly looks to be in contention to make the match day squad.
He has been included in Arsenal first-team training before, but is not always a regular with the seniors.
Patino’s inclusion in first choice training looks set to become far more frequent now, especially as he could play a part in the coming weeks.
Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny are both set to depart Arsenal to represent their countries at the African Cup of Nations soon.
That will leave Arteta’s midfield options highly depleted, but it will move Patino up the pecking order.
Although Granit Xhaka, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Albert Sambi Lokonga may be ahead of Patino, when Partey and Elneny jet off, Patino may well be next best placed to step in.
And there is a feeling that when he does break into the team, it will be hard to displace him again, given the level of talent he has shown in the development squad.
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