Turning point in ‘special’ player’s Arsenal career may come this weekend after what happened vs Lens – opinion

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Arsenal were dealt a huge blow ahead of Sunday’s clash with Manchester City, with Bukayo Saka going off with injury during the first-half of their Champions League tie with Lens on Tuesday.

Saka has been an injury concern for a little while now. And the Gunners now face a nervous wait to see if the 22-year-old will be available to face the Premier League champions in what could be a huge game in setting the tone in the potential title race.

Mikel Arteta opted to bring Fabio Vieira on for Bukayo Saka. However, Vieira struggled to make much of an impact against the Ligue 1 side. And he is surely not the player who ticks the most boxes if Arsenal are looking to someone to fill Saka’s huge shoes this weekend.

Instead, that player may well be Reiss Nelson. Nelson came on in the latter stages against Lens. And he has history for making an impact against Manchester City.

Reiss Nelson may be about to get chance in Arsenal team he has been waiting for

Nelson’s cameo stood out as one of the only bright points from their 4-1 defeat against Pep Guardiola’s side last season. He was one of the only players who was brave on the ball. And he was trying to make things happen as many of his teammates really struggled.

Nelson has had a number of false dawns at Arsenal. The 23-year-old has never quite been able to establish himself as a key man at the Emirates. He has only ever made nine Premier League starts for the club. But he clearly possesses the talent. Mikel Arteta once labelled him ‘special‘.

That goal against Bournemouth last season will go down in Arsenal folklore. And if he can prove that he can step up, it would be a massive boost for the Gunners.

Another game-changer for the Gunners

Not only would they have another game-changer in their ranks, but it would also allow Mikel Arteta to remove some of the pressure off of Saka. Surely, too much has been asked of the youngster over the last few years. And it may now be catching up on him.

If Nelson gets his chance against Manchester City and helps Arsenal pick up a famous result, it could represent a real turning point in his Gunners career.