Nelson opens up on Arsenal future after flying start at Hoffenheim

Reiss Nelson has played down talk of a permanent move to Hoffenheim despite his flying start to life in the Bundesliga.

The Arsenal starlet moved to Germany on a season-long loan at the end of August and has already struck four goals in just five league appearances for his new club.

England boss Gareth Southgate is already keeping tabs on Nelson having already given fellow 18-year-old Jadon Sancho, who is starring for Borussia Dortmund, his Three Lions debut.

And while admitting he is enjoying his football in Germany, Nelson has stopped short of talking up a potential permanent switch.

I’m liking the Bundesliga," he said. "There’s a lot of top, top defenders that you come across.

"It was always going to be a challenge so when I got the offer to come out here I was excited, knowing it was going to be such a big challenge for me.

"As a person and as a player, I wanted to take the next step.

"At the moment I’m very happy here. I’m playing, I’m scoring, but I’m an Arsenal player at the end of the day, so I have to stay and do my job here, then wherever football takes me I’ll go."

Nelson has made three Premier League appearances for the Gunners, the first of which came in January this year when he came on as a substitute in a 4-1 win against Crystal Palace .

He has made a further 13 appearances in cup competitions, including eight in Europe, but is yet to find the net for his parent club.

Nelson has represented England at Under-16, U17, U18, U19, U20 and U21 level, scoring his first goal for the U21s on his debut against Andorra earlier this month.

He went on to score in his second appearance just a few days later, scoring a stunning free-kick against Scotland at Tynecastle.