Arsenal loanee Reiss Nelson has found his form in recent weeks and is now preparing for a European final, much to the delight of Robin van Persie and Bukayo Saka.
The Feyenoord winger started both semi-final legs as the Dutch side edged out Marseille to book their place in the showpiece final in Tirana on May 25. The Eredivise outfit will face Jose Mourinho's Roma, after they knocked out Leicester City.
Injuries prevented Nelson from making an impact at Arsenal last season, with the promising winger limited to just two substitute appearances. The loan to Feyenoord seemed to be following a similar pattern, with a groin complaint preventing the 22-year-old from becoming a regular starter until December.
However, the Gunners loanee is starting to make an impact at the business end of the campaign, with six straight Eredivisie starts yielding two goals and three assists in his last three appearances. Nelson has also started all five Conference League knockout clashes, registering a further three assists.
The goalless stalemate at the Stade Velodrome on Thursday night earned Feyenoord a 3-2 aggregate victory, with Nelson coming out on top against rival Arsenal loanees Matteo Guendouzi and William Saliba. The Feyenoord star took to social media to celebrate, and was congratulated by a number of Gunners stars both past and present.
Arsenal legend Van Persie and rising star Saka were among those to praise Nelson, along with England international Jadon Sancho. The winger's post on Instagram has already been liked more than 37,000 times.
Nelson has one year left on his current Arsenal contract, and it remains to be seen whether he fits into Mikel Arteta's plans for next season. Gabriel Martinelli, Emile Smith-Rowe and Saka have established them as first-choice wingers, although European football could present further opportunities for the loanee upon his return.
Addressing his own development, Nelson told Feyenoord's YouTube channel last month: “[My development] is going from strength to strength, and it’s good that I’m now developing in the way that I should be, and it’s always nice to get the rewards like the assist and the goal.
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“For me it’s just being able to be at a high tempo for long periods, over 90 minutes, to be strong in my duels and 1v1 battles, and really feel free in my movement, that’s the main thing for me.”
Arteta expressed his sympathy for Nelson towards the tail-end of last season, admitting it was his 'fault' for the winger not getting more game-time. The Gunners boss pointed towards the competition in the squad when explaining his absence after the 2-0 win at Newcastle United in May last year.
Arteta told Football.London: "With Reiss I would like to give him more. He's a boy who trains really hard, he wants to do extra all the time but it's very difficult at the moment with the players that we have to fit him. I feel sorry that we don't have other competitions to use him because he deserves more. If he doesn't play more it's my fault."
