Feyenoord coach Arne Slot has admitted that Arsenal loanee Reiss Nelson was ‘not fully fit’ when he arrived at the club, but that is something he has been working hard to fix.
Nelson joined the Dutch side on loan in the summer as he looked to get regular game time that wasn’t on offer at the Emirates.
He’s yet to feature for his new club, though, with Slot admitting that the winger wasn’t fit enough to be featuring yet.
Those same comments saw him mention Arsenal’s training methods, which led to a back and fro argument about them, which he later had to clarify.
Amid all that, Nelson still hasn’t played a game for Feyenoord, but Slot isn’t too worried as he can see the quality they will be getting eventually.
“I have to say that we have not seen much of him in the first few months because he was not fully fit,” FR 12 report him saying in a press conference.
“The last few weeks, you can see why he is under contract at Arsenal. He is very quick and can change direction quickly. He looks for the goal quickly.
“I think he is a good player, but he has barely played a game. So let’s give him some time before he is in his best form.
“We don’t really have that time, so he will have to get his game rhythm quickly.”
The last few months have undoubtedly been a frustrating time for Nelson, who also struggled to get game time at Arsenal.
The 21-year-old was a regular for Hoffenheim during a loan spell with them in 2018/19 but returned to Arsenal that summer and has barely been seen since then.
The 2019/20 season saw him make 22 appearances for the Gunners but manage just 1042 minutes, while last season, his tallies were down to nine and 448 minutes.
It’s less than ideal, and Slot admits the youngster has undoubtedly been ‘frustrated and annoyed’ by the situation.
“It’s not like I talk to him about it every day,” he added.
“I think he was initially frustrated and annoyed that he couldn’t start from day one. He has worked hard to become fully fit.
“You notice that he is getting stronger and stronger now that he is competing. I am sure he wants to show that in the matches. I think he will get that chance in the coming weeks.”
