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Arsenal loanee returns from injury to miss chance of glory Reiss Nelson’s season has once again been interrupted by injury, but returning from a calf problem against Sunderland, he had the chance to win the game for Brentford in the dying minutes… Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Reiss Nelson will face a decision over his future this summer after another season in which injuries and limited minutes have restricted his ability to show what he can do. Now 26, the Hale End graduate made his Arsenal debut under Arsene Wenger in a 4-1 win over Crystal Palace in 2018 at the age of 18. Early promise raised expectations around the winger, but his career has not developed as many anticipated.
A loan spell with Fulham last season brought only 12 appearances and 572 minutes on the pitch. The current campaign is on course to deliver even fewer opportunities. With less than a quarter of the season remaining he has played just 276 minutes.
He has not started a single Premier League game all season and a calf injury ruled him out of the FA Cup tie against Southampton last weekend, a match he would have expected to start. Unlike other problems he’s had, that injury was expected to be a short one and so it turned out to be. He returned to the Brentford bench on Monday night.
With 85 minutes on the clock and Brentford desperate for a winner after throwing away a two-goal lead, Keith Andrews sent on the Arsenal man. Just five minutes later, with the clock ticking over into injury time, he missed a glorious chance to win the game and make himself a hero, when he missed a header in front of goal, the ball bouncing off his shoulder and going agonisingly wide. It was a chance he had to score.
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images Since leaving on loan, injuries have repeatedly disrupted Nelson’s playing time. A hamstring problem last season accounted for 28 missed matches, with further time required afterwards to regain fitness. This season, he has missed nine games through a knock, illness and the calf issue he returned from against the Black Cats.