Emile Smith Rowe has revealed that Reiss Nelson was the standout player during his youth career at Arsenal.
Smith Rowe and the club's back-to-back player of the year Bukayo Saka are the two standout players to come out of the Hale End academy in recent years, scoring 21 goals between them during last the 2021/22 Premier League campaign. However, the young midfielder has now admitted that it was actually Nelson who was dominating the scene during his formative years in north London.
When asked who the standout youth player was by the Vibe with Five YouTube channel, Smith Rowe replied: "Reiss Nelson - he was the one in my age group. The things he used to do, you couldn't believe it sometimes."
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Nelson spent last season out on loan with Dutch outfit PSV before returning to the Emirates Stadium for pre-season earlier this summer. It remains to be seen how much game time the 22-year-old will receive this term, as he battles it out with the likes of Saka, Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli, Nicolas Pepe and Marquinhos for a spot in Mikel Arteta's starting XI.
Arsenal get their season underway when they travel to Selhurst Park to take on Patrick Vieira's Crystal Palace in the first game of the Premier League season.
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