Arsenal have been dealt a blow in their pre-season preparations with news of an injury in the camp already.
Despite not travelling with the squad to the USA and suspicions being raised about a potential injury, little was known about Reiss Nelson’s absence from proceedings.
However, more has now come to light.
According to Arsenal journalist Chris Wheatley, Nelson is indeed injured and will miss at least a few weeks with what is being described as a minor toe injury.
Nelson didn’t travel with the rest of the Arsenal squad and now the reason has become apparent.
Fresh off of signing a new contract with the Gunners, Nelson is hoping to kick on this season and prove people wrong.
He made an impact at times off the bench last term but never quite nailed down a place in Mikel Arteta’s XI.
This year, with a new long-term deal behind him, he’ll be hoping to have an even bigger impact.
Nelson will be hoping his injury is indeed just a minor one. Anything else, and he’s likely to miss the start of the Premier League season.
Nelson will want to be fighting fit
It’s not ideal for Reiss Nelson this. First he’s missed out on the tour and now he’s confirmed as having a knock.
It’s not what any player wants in pre-season and there is going to be an element of doubt in his head now over what impression he can make.
Mikel Arteta previously spoke of how ‘special‘ a player Nelson is at times. But he’s going to need to be fit to show Arteta was right this season.
Any setback in pre-season is a nightmare for players and Nelson will be desperate for this to clear up quickly and not hinder his progress any more.
