Reiss Nelson is living his boyhood dream.
The 18-year-old Arsenal academy graduate made his breakthrough in 2017/18, winning the Premier League 2 Player of the Season and making 16 senior appearances for the club.
Last week Nelson signed a new long-term deal with the club he supported as a child, then going on loan to Hoffenheim for the season.
Before his move to Germany, Reiss sat down with Brando and Teshaun, two nine-year-olds at the start of their journey with Arsenal.
This time last year, Brando and Teshaun were participating in the Premier League Under-9 Welcome Festival, which is the starting point for boys in the Premier League Games Programme.
So Nelson was able to share with them his experience as they look to emulate him in playing for Arsenal in the Premier League.
"Every day in training I was challenging myself on something different, and I was getting a lot of feedback on what I need to work on," Nelson reveals when asked how he succeeded in getting to the first team.
"And then I was doing it, and it was kind of showing in my game as well. That chance finally came from working really hard."
In the video above, Nelson also reveals the Manchester United player whom he looked up to, the sacrifices to his diet he had to make, as well as which car he would compare his style of play to.
Also in this series
Part 2: Nelson: You have to be ready when the call comes
Part 3: Festival 'makes you feel like a first-team player'
