Some things just go together
Ice cream and chocolate brownies, bangers and mash, cookies and milk, cheese and wine; the list (which is admittedly mostly food) goes on and on.
A recent addition to that list has been the Bundesliga and young underappreciated English footballers who have decided to venture overseas to get the opportunities they clearly feel their talent deserves.
Throughout the last year we have seen a number of young players, previously consigned to Carabao Cup line ups of Premier League sides and U23 games, light up the German top flight, where the leagues top sides have shown a willingness to trust them.
Last season saw Everton winger Ademola Lookman impress hugely in a short loan spell with RB Leipzig, while West Ham’s Reece Oxford has impressed Borussia Monchengladbach during two loan spells at the sleeping giants.
This season it has been the turn of Jadon Sancho and Reiss Nelson to take the Bundesliga by storm. Sancho has been an utter revelation since joining Borussia Dortmund on a permanent deal from Manchester City in 2017, scoring five goals and assisting eight in 14 games in all competitions this season.
Nelson, a forward, remains contracted to an English club – Arsenal – but is spending the season with TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, where he scored on his debut in a defeat to Fortuna Dusseldorf.
Youngest-ever players to score five goals in the Bundesliga:
18y, 10m, 14d • 🇩🇪 Lukas Podolski
18y, 10m, 15d • 🇩🇪 Olaf Thon
18y, 10m, 25d • 🏴 Reiss NelsonMaking the most of an extraordinary opportunity. pic.twitter.com/UL1pT44W7X
— SCOUTED (@scoutedftbl) November 3, 2018
He has continued as he started, consistently impressing and pitching in with a cracker here and there.
One of those crackers came on Saturday as Hoffenheim faced Bayer Leverkusen at the BayArena.
Reiss Nelson, stop that 😳😱
Unbelievable finish!
He's loving life in Germany 🙌 pic.twitter.com/KBcSpHqGZ6
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 3, 2018
With less than 20 minutes gone in the game, Nelson received the ball short from a corner before taking a few steps and curling an absolute beauty into the far top corner.
There was a little slip, which may have added to the shot’s elevation, but the goal – his fifth in the Bundesliga this season – is continued proof that Nelson, like Sancho, may very well be the real deal.
If he keeps it up, it may not be long before Arsenal manager Unai Emery realises the same.
