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Reiss Nelson reveals Jadon Sancho convinced him to join Hoffenheim on loan

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Arsenal youngster Reiss Nelson is thriving on loan at Hoffenheim (Picture: Getty)

Arsenal wonderkid Reiss Nelson has revealed that Jadon Sancho persuaded him to join Hoffenheim on loan in the summer.

Nelson, 18, had a strong pre-season under Unai Emery but decided to seek a temporary move in search of regular playing time, eventually opting for Julian Nagelsmanns Hoffenheim.

The youngster has flourished in Germany, scoring two goals in his opening four appearances, and was rewarded with a call-up to the England Under-21s.

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Nelson scored off the bench in Englands 7-0 thumping of Andorra before finding the net with a magnificent free-kick in a 1-0 victory over Scotland.

Sancho, who was in Gareth Southgates most recent England squad, has also taken the Bundesliga by storm since joining Borussia Dortmund last summer and was confident his childhood friend would make similar strides in Germany.

Reiss Nelson scored a sensation free-kick for Englands Under-21s (Picture: Getty)

Jadon knows I like one against ones, he knows Im a fast player and said there were a lot of those opportunities, Nelson explained.

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Weve got a lot of similarities so he said I should go over there and thats how I can show my brilliance.

Jadon Sancho made his England debut this month (Picture: Getty)

Nelson claimed that Hoffenheim boss Nagelsmann was the main reason he joined the club in the summer.

A loan wasnt always my first option, but when I heard the Bundesliga and Hoffenheim was an option for me and working with the manager there, it was something I wanted to do, Nelson told the FAs official website last week.

Julians a great manager and hes got belief in young players so its a good place for me to go and play.

Hes [Nagelsmann] very young, hes only 31 and I think its important to go to a team and a coach who believes in you, so he was the main reason because he is willing to play us.

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It was hard to leave my boyhood club Arsenal, its still my dream to play for Arsenal, but I know I have to put that on hold and go and play abroad to get some experience in Germany,

So Im trying to do my stuff there, get stronger and come back ready to play for Arsenals first team, so I had to take the opportunity to go there.

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Ive settled in well and Im enjoying it. My dad is German too, from near Munich, so I knew what to expect and Im learning the language with an app called Babbel and its going well.