Reiss Nelson came off the bench as Arsenal suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of FC Koln last night, and the youngster has drawn praise for his performance.
The Gunners limped to defeat in Cologne yesterday thanks to a questionable penalty decision, but the other results ensured that we cemented our place as group winners regardless, and can be play-out the final match much more relaxed.
The loss has seen a few players criticised for their displays, but one player has been singled out for praise in Reiss Nelson.
The 17 year-old has been talked about strongly this season, having convinced Arsene Wenger to play him strongly in the Europa League and Carabao Cup, and is tipped to progress into the first-team in quick fashion.
Former defender Martin Keown is the latest pundit to sing his praises, saying: “Famous victory for Cologne, let them take their night.
“They haven’t had too many good ones.
“But I think Nelson can be something special, little flashes there of brilliance.
“That was a great run, pity he didn’t score.”
Jermaine Jenas followed on with his own praise for Nelson, talking of his effort in which he passed three players before getting his shot away.
“This is a brilliant bit of play from Reiss Nelson,” he said.
“He was a real bright spark when he came onto the pitch. He got himself into dangerous situations, that was brilliant.”
Nelson showed the best of his ability in the final third, and it would be nice to see him deployed in one of the advanced roles in the Carabao Cup next month, but is he ready to challenge Alex Iwobi and his team-mates for a role in the first-team squad yet?
Pat J