Arsenal's Reiss Nelson 'ruled out for two weeks with toe injury'

Arsenal attacker Reiss Nelson is reportedly set to miss two weeks of action after sustaining a toe injury.

The 23-year-old - who recently signed a new long-term contract with the Gunners until 2027 - was missing from his side's travelling squad to the USA at the weekend.

Nelson was given a 45-minute run-out in Arsenal's recent 1-1 draw with German second-tier side Nurnberg, and the Gunners did not give a specific reason for Nelson's absence.

However, the North London club confirmed that players not making the trip would either be working their way back from injuries or staying put in the UK to build up their fitness levels.

Nelson seemingly falls in the former category, as according to Gooner News, the former England Under-21 international has picked up a "minor" toe problem and will spend around a fortnight on the sidelines.

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As a result, Nelson will miss Wednesday's showdown with the MLS All-Stars, as well as Arsenal's subsequent clashes with Barcelona and Manchester United in the USA.

The attacker reportedly sustained the issue during the Gunners' training camp in Germany and required stitches to close the wound, hence Arsenal's decision to omit him from their USA tour.

However, the outlet adds that Nelson should be back in time for the latest edition of the Emirates Cup, which sees the Gunners take on Ligue 1 giants Monaco on August 2.

The Englishman did not start a single Premier League game last season - having also picked up a quadriceps injury in the 2022 pre-season period - but he proved a valuable option off the bench.

Nelson ended the 2022-23 season with three goals and two assists from 11 Premier League appearances, including a memorable 97th-minute winner in a 3-2 comeback success over Bournemouth to help Arsenal seal a second-placed finish.

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Nelson briefly became a free agent at the end of June and was linked with the likes of AC Milan and Brighton & Hove Albion, but the Hale End product instead committed his future to Arsenal for another four seasons.

The attacker is one of several notable absentees from Arsenal's transatlantic tour, with Matt Turner, Nuno Tavares, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Cedric Soares, Nicolas Pepe, Thomas Partey and Emile Smith Rowe also failing to make the flight.

Partey and Smith Rowe are expected to link up with the team at some point this week, but Cedric's omission is alleged to be a tactical decision from Mikel Arteta, while Turner and Tavares are recovering from recent international exploits.

All of Rob Holding, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Martin Odegaard, Leandro Trossard, Fabio Vieira and Gabriel Martinelli have been nursing injuries too, but the six players have made the trip to North America.

New signings Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber were also on the plane, and both men are in line to make their debuts against Wayne Rooney's MLS All-Stars on Wednesday.