Blackpool boss Michael Appleton delivers early verdict on Arsenal loanee after impressive Sunderland display

The 18-year-old was in scintillating form during the second-half on Tuesday night as the Seasiders played out a goalless draw against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

After struggling to get on the ball during the first period, the Arsenal loanee soon took control of the game as Appleton’s men dominated the second 45.

It was a mature display from Patino, whose game time at Bloomfield Road has been limited to eight games so far this term after being sidelined for a short time with a foot injury.

But the England Under-20 international is rapidly becoming increasingly important for the Seasiders - and his growing influence certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“He’s still only 18, he can deal with the ball in any area of the pitch, go past people left side, right side,” Appleton said.

“When he came to the club I said he’s as good as I’ve seen dealing with the ball and he’s a good mover of the ball.

“As you’ve seen, he can play as a six, he can play as an eight, he can play as a 10, he’s got a really good future ahead of him.”

Another loanee who has performed well during his time on the Fylde coast so far is Wolves man Theo Corbeanu.

The winger, however, had to settle for a spot on the bench against Sunderland as Appleton opted to start with three strikers.

“We were a little bit punchy and aggressive from the start by starting the three boys up top,” Pool’s head coach admitted.

“But I felt we could get in behind and get at them a little bit, which didn’t really happen in the first-half.

“It started to in the second-half, but as soon as the game opens up and starts to stretch it’s almost the ideal opportunity for the likes of Theo and Ian (Poveda), who we tried to get on earlier. But Gaz (Madine) was feeling good and dealing with the game after being out for a while.

“To see the impact off the bench is good, but we also saw it against Norwich on Saturday. You need that, especially when you can make five changes.”