Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was asked about his decision to leave Charlie Patino and a number of other talented youngsters out of our pre-season tour.

The Gunners are in the United States at the moment. We take on Everton, Orlando City and Chelsea there before heading back to the UK for the Emirates Cup at the end of this month.

Arteta picked 33 players for the tour and the notable absentee is young Patino, who many believe is the next Hale End graduate to make his mark in the first team.

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Arteta shares why youngsters like Patino weren’t picked for Arsenal’s US tour

Among the 33 players who have travelled to the United States, Arteta has picked just one player from the Arsenal academy – 18-year-old Reuell Walters. Click here to read more about him!

When asked why Patino and many others were left back at home, the Arsenal boss told Football London: “It was (a tough decision to leave so many academy players behind) but it was impossible. 

“So we have Reuell here, we have Flo (Folarin Balogun) as well, and we have tried to balance. But we had a lot of young players as well in Germany, so I think we have the right balance.”

Patino isn’t the only talented Arsenal youngster who has been left out. The likes of Miguel Azeez, Brooke Norton-Cuffy, Marcelo Flores and Lino Sousa have all missed out as well.

The Insider’s View:

This really was a tricky decision for Arteta.

The likes of Bernd Leno, Pablo Mari, Hector Bellerin, Lucas Torreira, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Nicolas Pepe are all expected to leave the club this summer, but Arteta still decided to take them along for our tour to the United States.

An argument can be made that our talented youngsters, who are the future of our club, deserve a chance over ones who are set to leave us soon.

That is why many fans are upset that the likes of Patino have been left back at home, but the teenager will surely get a chance in the first team next season when the group stage of the Europa League begins.

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The post 'Impossible': Arteta shares why Patino wasn't picked for Arsenal's US tour appeared first on Arsenal Insider.