Reiss Nelson back in Feyenoord training but still not available | OneFootball

Reiss Nelson is back in training with Feyenoord for the first time since injury, though he won’t be available to face SC Heerenveen on Wednesday.

Reiss Nelson of Arsenal and Christian Norgaard of Brentford during the Premier League match between Brentford and Arsenal at the Brentford Community Stadium, Brentford. Copyright: Mark D Fuller

Feyenoord report that Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson played a small part in training with his loan side this week, for the first time since his injury.

The club update adds that the home game against SC Heerenveen on Wednesday night will come too soon for the young winger. But manager Arne Slot is glad to see Nelson taking positive strides towards a recovery.

“I am happy that he has taken these steps,” Slot said. “We’re going to see how that develops and I hope he can take the next steps soon.”

Slot initially confirmed that Nelson had picked up an overload injury soon after joining Feyenoord on loan. At the time, he suggested this was due to the fact the training sessions were more ‘spicy’ for Nelson at Feyenoord than Arsenal.

“Nelson had participated in almost all training sessions at Arsenal, but he experiences the training sessions here as a bit more spicy”, Slot said. “He ran into an overload injury and so he is not here.”

He later clarified that he didn’t mean Arsenal’s training sessions weren’t committed, just that Nelson wouldn’t have been training in the same way as a squad player at Arsenal versus as a potential starter at Feyenoord.

“I’m not saying anything about how Arsenal train; I’m saying something about how substitute player Reiss Nelson, who didn’t have much of a future there, trained,” Slot explained.

“He was very often in the team that had to imitate the opponent. He didn’t actually play any matches.

“Now he is with a team that is busy and where he is seen as a player who has to play a lot, so that combination has caused him to have some overload problems.”

Regardless of the reasons behind Nelson’s absence, it’s good to hear he’s closing in on a return now.