Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho key to Reiss Nelson Hoffenheim move
Hoffenheim attacker Reiss Nelson has revealed that another hugely talented English teenager – Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho – told him that he would love playing in the Bundesliga.
Nelson, 18, has already scored twice in just three appearances in the German top flight since joining Hoffenheim on loan from Arsenal at the end of August.
He is friends with fellow Londoner Sancho – who made his senior England debut this month after a superb start to the season with Dortmund – and spoke to him before deciding to move to Germany.
“Jadon knows I like one against ones,” Nelson said, after scoring with a brilliantly struck free-kick for England U21s against Scotland.
“He knows I’m a fast player and said there were a lot of those opportunities.
“We’ve got a lot of similarities so he said I should go over there and that’s how I can show my brilliance.”
Nelson didn’t take long to demonstrate his ability, coming off the bench to net on his Bundesliga debut in a 2-1 defeat at Fortuna Düsseldorf in September.
He did likewise in the Matchday 7 loss against Eintracht Frankfurt, and followed up by scoring twice in his first two appearances for England U21s this month.
Nelson’s mother, sister and brother have all temporarily moved to Germany to help him settle in, something he feels has helped him “100 per cent.”
“Sinsheim is a little village where everyone loves football,” he told the Daily Mail. “If you go out to Heidelberg, where I'm living, it’s a bit more like a city and we can go out as a family. It’s not just training then home.
Watch: Jadon Sancho and Reiss Nelson have been Supersubs this season
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“They’re loving it to be fair - treating it like a holiday. I come home from training and they’re not even there, [they’re] in the middle of Frankfurt doing a bit of shopping.”
With Arsenal’s former Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as well as Hoffenheim manager Julian Nagelsmann to count on if he needs advice, Nelson is well on the path to making a similar impact to Sancho.
After making 12 appearances in his first year in the Bundesliga, Sancho registered an impressive six assists in seven league games for leaders Dortmund before the recent international break.
The 18-year-old also has a goal and two UEFA Champions League starts under his belt, something which led to him being offered a new contract by Dortmund and earning a first England cap in their UEFA Nations League clash with Croatia.