Reiss Nelson’s loan spell at Feyenoord has been on a strong upward trajectory of late, with a slew of goals and assists in the last two months as he recently reached double goal contributions.
But you might not expect things to end here. Nelson had made just four starts in all competitions for Feyenoord as of March 1, scoring one goal and providing one assist in all of his appearances up to that point.
Speaking to Dutch media, Nelson said he was unlucky at first but remained calm and fought for his current starting role.
“I had injuries, then I had some bad luck and actually my body wasn’t in balance those first few months,” Nelson said. “I told myself that we had to be patient.
“I knew it would be difficult anyway. I’m from Arsenal, but you don’t just get into the Feyenoord team. Arne Slot has built a great team and there are some fantastic players here.
“It was just difficult to get into the team. I started fighting like crazy and now I’m here.
One of Nelson’s nine goals/assists since March 1 was an assist in the first leg of the Europa Conference League semi-final first leg last Thursday, to help Feyenoord to a 3-2 win over Marseille .
The Dutch team now have to travel to Marseille to try and wrap up the win and advance to the final, and Nelson is looking forward to that opportunity.
“We’re going to remember this night for the rest of our lives, I already know that,” Nelson said.
“All the players and everyone at Feyenoord are looking forward to it. I’m having a great time here and I’m going to give it my all.