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Mikel Arteta praised Reiss Nelson after the winger’s display in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Molde in the Europa League on Thursday night.
Second-half goals from Nicolas Pepe, Nelson and 19-year-old forward Folarin Balogun sealed the victory for the Gunners, who are now guaranteed a place in the knockout phase.
Nelson, who was only making his third season start, put on an encouraging display against the Norwegian team.
And Arteta has praised the 20-year-old’s mentality after he turned down the opportunity to leave Arsenal on loan for the second time.
“ He has made great strides in the last month. He has shown what he can do, ” Arteta said after Arsenal’s win over Molde.
‘Again, he is another player who wants to face you all the time, he is very vertical, he is a great player when he runs behind and he is very unpredictable. I really like that these types of players play in open positions.
“Defensively, there are things he needs to do better and he will improve at that, but he is a much more mature player.
“He showed a great attitude, in my opinion, by saying that he didn’t want to go on loan because he thinks he has the opportunity to play for this football club.
‘He’s showing that he wants to go that direction. He’s acting the right way. ‘
When asked if he had talked to Nelson about where he could improve, Arteta replied: ‘Yes. We are working a lot with him, obviously.
He is so willing. He’s asking for more all the time. He wants individual meetings. He wants to work in the field on certain areas where we think he can improve.
“ He is training really very well, he is also developing. It had a click and we needed that click.
“Now it’s his turn, but I have to say that his last performances have been really good.”
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