Mikel Arteta has challenged Reiss Nelson to prove he can still be "special" at Arsenal.
Nelson is expected to make his first appearance of the season in the Europa League on Thursday night, with Arteta expected to rest a number of his key stars ahead of Sunday’s clash with Liverpool.
The England Under-21 international missed the first three months of the season through injury, but now back fit, Arteta wants the winger to prove his worth after being impressed by his attitude following his return from a loan spell with Feyenoord last season.
Arteta said: “After the spell that he had last year on loan, we wanted him back to see if there are any changes, and there’s a prospect that we can really take to the next level,” Arteta said. “We think the potential is there and we think we’ve seen something in Reiss that is special.
“He’s been a part of our academy system and now he’s going to have an opportunity. He’s been out for almost three months with an injury, he’s back now, he’s fully fit and he’s ready to play. He just needs minutes now.
“His attitude and the way he’s matured and evolved over the past year or so has been really impressive, I think everybody is talking about it and now he needs to do it on the pitch.”
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With Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli shining so far this season as Arsenal's first-choice wingers, Nelson is expected to be given the majority of his minutes this season in the Europa League and cup competitions.
However, that also provides him with the opportunity to stake his claim for a spot in the first team by impressing in those games, although he faces added competition from summer signing Marquinhos.
The Brazilian arrived in a £3million move from Sao Paulo in the summer and recorded a goal and assist on his first start for the Gunners in their 2-1 victory over FC Zurich in their Europa League Group A opener last month.
Nelson is looking to reignite his Arsenal career, having recorded four goals and four assists in 48 appearances for the Gunners since making his first team breakthrough in 2017 after graduating through the academy ranks.
However, it was his loan spell with Hoffenheim during the 2018-19 campaign where he began to earn recognition, having recorded seven goals and one assist in 23 Bundesliga outings. He was then awarded a chance to fight for his place at Arsenal the following season.
But things didn’t quite work out as planned and the 22-year-old was loaned out to Dutch outfit Feyenoord last season, recording four goals and seven assists as he helped them reach the final of the inaugural Europa Conference League.
