Reiss Nelson has not been included in the Feyenoord squad for their game this weekend against NEC Nijmegen as he waits for his first minutes of the season with his loan club.

Brentford v Arsenal Premier League 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
Brentford v Arsenal Premier League 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

Reiss Nelson finally began training again with Feyenoord after issues with the intensity of their regime and his own fitness problems.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Nelson was finally training, although he was not included in Feyenoord’s squad for their midweek game against SC Heerenveen.

And, so it is again this weekend.

“He [Nelson] will not be in the selection tomorrow [Saturday], but he will train with us,” said Feyenoord coach Arne Slot at the press conference on Friday afternoon.

“The fact that he is now training is a good first step.

“He is still doing the small work for the time being, so he still has to take the next steps.

“Maybe we’ll look at next week, but you also look at the program: is that worth the risk?

“Is it a risk, or do you wait after the international break?”, added Slot.

Nelson was injured when he first joined in with Feyenoord’s training, Slot saying it was a bit ‘spicy’ for him.

The media tried to spin his comments and cause a commotion, but both Mikel Arteta and Slot did their best to diffuse the situation.

“I’m glad you asked because I saw it caused some commotion,” Slot told ESPN, relayed by Voetbal Primeur, when asked to clarify what he meant with his ‘spicy’ comments.

“With that, 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.

“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.”