Crystal Palace player Rio Cardines has really impressed fans and commentators with his performance for Bristol City so far in the Championship this season. 

He joined the Robins on a season-long loan from Palace after spending most of last season on the bench for Palace's first team. In their last game Cardines provided the assist for Dan Ballard's match winning goal against Watford. 

The 20-year-old made his Premier League debut and first start for the senior team on the last day of the season against Arsenal. Earlier in the season he featured of the bench against Dynamo Kyiv in the UEFA Conference League and against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup. 

Cardines could be Palace's next future break out star from the academy, after joining Palace at age 16. The Eagles are not expected to recall Cardines from his loan, as they see an incredible benefit of having him grow even further at Bristol over the season. 

In just eight matches with Bristol he has registered 6 assists in the league, starting seven of those matches. He is averaging 0.75 assists per 90 minutes on average which would see him hit 34 assists by the end of the season if he sustains this. 

His five assists in five games made him the first Championship player to do so in 12 years. He was also the youngest to reach this mark, and the first to do so in their first 6 appearances in the league. 

Some fans and commentators are speculating from his immediate impact that he could break the Championship assists record, which sits at 19 assists in a single season. The record was set by Harry Wilson in 2021-22. 

He's created more assists than any player in the Premier League, and is Europe's leading assist maker at the moment. 

Cardines has received a high volume of praise for his versatility during his time at Bristol. He has been playing on the left, despite being a natural right back, although he did play on the left during his features in the senior team last season. 

For Bristol he has played a variety of positions on the left with manager Michael Skubala praising his versatility and how he can face any challenge on the pitch. 

Here's what Skubala had to say about the Palace youngster: "Rio Cardines is still learning the game tactically, but his record of assists this season is exceptional. We knew we were signing a very talented young player, but his dead ball striking is so impressive."

Bristol City fans have commented online at how Cardines has exceeded expectations, with fans repeating "never fall in love with a loan player." One fan shared online that Cardines is one of the best to ever play for Bristol. 

Palace fans have been hoping for another break through academy star, similar to the progression of right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka who became a fan favourite at Palace before departing on his record move to Manchester United. 

In recent years some of Palace's promising youngsters have struggled to break through into the squad, or struggled to find a strong run of form when on loan. But for Cardines his incredible start in the Championship is incredibly promising for Palace.

When the season is up Cardines could be like a new signing for Palace, with incredible versatility and creativeness on the left.