In Reiss Nelson, Arsenal have a future Premier League star on their hands.
England Under-18s have been competing in a mini-tournament this past week alongside Israel and Italy. The results suggest that rumours of English football’s demise may be greatly exaggerated.
The youngsters kicked off proceedings with a 2-1 victory over Italy at Fleetwood’s Highbury Stadium, before comprehensively defeating Israel 5-1 at Morecambe’s Globe Arena.
Arsenal youngster Reiss Nelson started the first match and impressed with his work-rate and attacking threat, while he came off the bench in the second encounter to get his name on the scoresheet.
The 16-year-old winger is highly rated as a future star of English football. As can be seen from the video below, he has the skills to match the reputation.
Nelson’s flair is what immediately catches the eye, but he can more than match that technical trickery with his footballing nous and speed, as well as the ability to operate on either flank.
He has been featuring for the Arsenal Under-23 side this year and it may not be long before we see him given a chance in the first team (he has trained with them before), particularly in the EFL Cup trip to Nottingham Forest on 20 September.
More importantly, Nelson represents all the positives of the English academy system. A player brought up through Arsenal’s Hale End academy, he shows that there is talent out there in English football provided it is harnessed properly.
Nelson has been with the club for six years now, and his passion for playing football for his country will be particularly pleasing to hear from English fans around the country, even if those who don’t support Arsenal won’t want to see him in action against their team.
If he keeps on progressing for his club, firing in goals for his country, and playing like a one-man highlights reel, we’ll be hearing more about this young man in the coming season.
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