Nelson ready to shine for Arsenal after leaving a boy and returning a man

The 19-year-old has enjoyed a productive loan spell at Hoffenheim but remains determined to prove his worth back in England at Emirates Stadium

Reiss Nelson remains determined to prove himself as “an Arsenal player” and claims he will be returning to Emirates Stadium from a loan spell at Hoffenheim as “a man”.

The 19-year-old was allowed to head out of north London in August 2018.

Arsenal made sure to tie him to a new contract before sanctioning a switch to Germany, with the academy graduate still held in high regard by his parent club.

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Nelson is eager to deliver on that show of faith when he makes his way back to England.

He has taken in 16 senior outings for the Gunners, but is still waiting on his first goal.

The youngster already has six to his name for Hoffenheim and believes he is better placed to make an impact in the Premier League after proving his worth in the Bundesliga.

Nelson told The Mirror: “At the moment, I’m very happy here in Germany and playing and scoring.

“I have my family with me in Heidelberg, which is a great place to be. We go out as a family to nice restaurants – life is good.

Reiss Nelson Arsenal 2018-19

“I’m an Arsenal player. They are my boyhood club and I’ve been with them since I was eight.

“I just want to go back there stronger because, when I left, I was 17 and I didn’t feel that confident. Now I feel like a man and I know a year at Hoffenheim will help me when I go back.

“But, at the end of the day, I have to stay here in Germany until the summer, do my job here and wherever football takes me.

“I just go with the flow, you know.”

Nelson has been nursing a back problem of late, but returned to action off the bench in a 1-1 draw with Fortuna Dusseldorf on Saturday and is looking to make sure that he finishes a productive stint at Hoffenheim with a flourish.


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He added: “It’s crazy! I would never expect myself to be in a big league like this and playing regularly at the top level, as a teenager.

“But I just take every day and keep practising, keep asking questions of my team-mates and my coaches so I can learn all the time that I’m here in Germany.

“It’s just a case of keeping my feet on the ground, but I’ve enjoyed every minute so far.”