Nikolaj Moller’s debut for FC Den Bosch on Sunday may not have gone exactly as planned, but it was great to see him involved immediately.

Arsenal loanee Nikolaj Moller spent the first half of the season on loan with Viktoria Koln, scoring three goals and assisting one in 13 appearances – but just seven starts.

The Gunners decided to recall Moller in January to look for a loan where he could feature more consistently, sending him out to Dutch second-tier side FC Den Bosch.

The early signs are positive, as Moller slotted straight into the starting lineup at the weekend against ADO Den Haag. The 19-year-old doesn’t need another adaptation period, he needs to be thrown into as many competitive matches as possible.

The debut was less than ideal, as Den Bosch were reduced to 10 men at 0-0 before conceding soon afterwards. Moller was substituted just after the hour mark.

But that’s another experience for the teenager. As long as he’s playing, he’ll be learning something.

As for his actual performance, he had a couple of shots, and he completed 10 of his 14 passes. He’ll want to be more involved in the future, but it was a solid enough start.

That’s also not to mention the fact that Den Bosch’s opponents on Sunday were a top-three side in the league, whilst Den Bosch themselves are 14th. This was never a game they were expected to win.

We’ll have to wait and see if Moller can hold down his place in the coming weeks, and he’ll undoubtedly have to start contributing to some positive results for that to be the case.

It’s just a relief to see the striker at least getting an early chance to show what he can do.