Mikel Arteta explains why Charlie Patino was overlooked against Wimbledon | OneFootball

Arsenal earned their place in the fourth round of the EFL Cup last night with a win over Wimbledon, but many turned out in hope of seeing a debut performance from youngster Charlie Patino.

The 17 year-old has been tipped as the brightest prospect to set foot in their academy, rated higher than the likes of Jack Wilshere and Bukayo Saka amongst some of the coaches, and he was tipped to get his chance to make his mark in last night’s League Cup clash with lower-league side Wimbledon.

Unfortunately there was no space in the 18-man matchday squad for Patino however, much to the disappointment of fans, but the manager explained his reasoning after the full-time whistle.

You can be forgiven for believing his promotion looks unlikely now with Premier League side Leeds coming up in the next round of the competition with the winner earning a place in the quarter-finals of the competition, although we could still get a favourable FA Cup draw later in the year.

Will Patino likely have to wait until next season for his senior debut, or could his work behind the scenes convince the manager that he deserves his chance?

Patrick