Arsenal: So when is Reiss Nelson actually going to play?

Reiss Nelson was visibly frustrated as Arsene Wenger did not provide him with any playing time in Arsenal’s win against Watford. If he isn’t going to play in that game, then when is he actually going to play?

Young players need game time. It is the one thing that any individual’s development cannot go without. It is the precious commodity that every prospect is desperate to receive. It is why Marcus McGuane decided to leave Arsenal for Barcelona earlier this season.

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The young defender made the Catalonian switch in January as he was worried about the stagnation of his progression at the Emirates. In an excellent piece by the Daily Mail, there was one comment that especially caught my eye from McGuane when discussing his motivations for making the move.

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McGuane, without solely blaming Arsene Wenger, though it is clearly a ramification of the selection decisions that he was making, stated that he was growing ‘frustrated by a lack of opportunities’:

"“I was getting frustrated by a lack of opportunities. It is good to train but I did not want my performance to plateau and stay at the same level. This step made sense <…> There’s no grudge but I felt the best thing was to find another way. If you want to be at a place to develop and get first-team football, maybe you have to look elsewhere than Arsenal.”"

It is now a frustration that is now seeping through the rest of the squad, particularly, one Reiss Nelson.

With Arsenal comfortably holding off Watford on Sunday afternoon, Nelson clearly had hopes that he would be provided with some more Premier League minutes to add to the 18 that he has already amassed.

But Wenger turned to Danny Welbeck, not Nelson, to replace Alex Iwobi. And then he was forced to bring on Calum Chambers for Shkodran Mustafi. And then he chose Jack Wilshere, not Nelson, to replace Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Nelson was left on the bench. He was visibly unhappy, throwing his bib to the floor. He was, per reports, ‘fuming’.

And, in all honesty, I can sympathise with him a great deal. It would be a little naive for Nelson to expect to play against AC Milan this Thursday, for example, but with his team three goals to the good when Wilshere was introduced, is there not a better time to introduce a young player for the remaining few moments, at least to gain some invaluable experience? There is nothing to lose.

Next: Arsenal Vs Watford: 5 things we learned

If Nelson isn’t going to play when the Gunners are three goals to the good in a relatively meaningless game with only 10 minutes remaining, then when is he going to play? It is a question that could lead him, like McGuane, to believe that his career is better served elsewhere.