Arsenal: Reiss Nelson knows what he must do

Reiss Nelson has stated that, in the midst of a successful loan spell, he must be consistent and prove that he is not a flash in the pan. The Arsenal winger knows what he must do.

In the social-media-driven, highlight-obsessed, You-Tube-orientated modern world, it is very easy for the footballing public — I include myself in that — to be drawn in by flashes in the pan, as the old adage goes. The brief and extraordinary is conflated for the extended and consistent.

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This is especially true for young players. After one, exciting glimpse they are suddenly hailed the next Lionel Messi, completely disregarding the importance of having a broad sample size or extended period of proof of such inexorable ability. Eddie Nketiah, for instance, played for 33 minutes against Norwich in the EFL Cup. Suddenly, he was the second coming of Thierry Henry after he scored twice.

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There is an absence of focus on consistency and longevity. Rather, we crave the unpredictable, the brief flashes of brilliance that flutter the heart but rarely sustain success. And it is this lack of awareness that has crippled many a young player’s career. Arsenal prospect Reiss Nelson, though, is making sure that he will not follow that same path, as he recently revealed in an interview with BBC Sport:

"“For me, I always want to be the best player I can be. I wanted to challenge myself and see what I could do. It’s going well so far. It’s incredible. But I’ve just got to keep it up. It’s not just for the six games, I’ve got to do it throughout the season. I don’t know where it’s going to take me, but I’ve just got to keep my feet on the ground and keep positive.”"

Such an outlook is very nice to see. Nelson has proven himself a ruthlessly dedicated individual, intent on making a success of his talent. It is why he moved to Hoffenheim on loan in the first place. He was told that playing time would be limited at the Emirates and Nelson decided that he needed to move elsewhere to be given the opportunities that he believed he deserved and his development required.

And now he is proving himself poised, intelligent and self-aware. After six goals in the Bundesliga, averaging a strike every 51 minutes, it would be very easy for Nelson to allow this success to get to his head and grow complacent. He has made it, right? There is no need to continue working hard. But that is not the perspective that Nelson holds.

Nelson understands that, at this current time, he is nothing but a wonderfully gifted player enjoying a purple patch of form. If he wants to be great, and he does certainly want to be great, then he will have to illustrate consistency and longevity, two traits that are increasingly rare in the modern game.

Nelson knows what his next step is: to keep doing what he is doing. That sounds far easier than it actually is, but it is what he must do if he wants to be great. And Nelson does want to be great.