Arsenal senior players impressed by 17-year-old Hale End gem

Arsenal academy star Charlie Patino has made a big impression on some of the senior Gunners players, according to Charles Watts.

The 17-year-old midfielder is one of many academy talents tipped for stardom in the coming years.

Gunners coaches reportedly rate the Hale End gem – who is already playing for Arsenal’s Under-23s – very highly.

Known for his technical ability and agility in midfield, Patino has often played for higher age groups.

As a 14-year-old, he captained England’s Under-16s against Spain and made his debut for Arsenal’s Under-18s against Chelsea.

Last season, Patino earned promotion to the Under-23s – quite a feat considering his age – and made four appearances.

This season, he’s featuring regularly for the Under-23s, and last Thursday, he featured in the behind-closed-doors friendly win over Brentford.

And according to Watts, Arsenal’s senior players have joined the coaches and hierarchy in rating Patino highly.

“Charlie Patino came on for the injured Mohamed Elneny after just 33 minutes,” Watts said on his YouTube channel.

“Really good to see Charlie Patino getting 60 minutes pretty much in the centre of midfield there with the senior players.

“He played really really well by all accounts, lots of good comments coming from how Patino played.

“I understand he made a big impression on some of his senior teammates as well.

“So that’s good for him, real talented player, I’ve spoken about him plenty of times.”

Arsenal senior players impressed by 17-year-old Hale End gem – journalist