Reiss Nelson has his eyes on the England senior squad and the Arsenal first-team after an impressive debut for the Under-21s on Thursday night.

The Arsenal winger, on loan at Bundesliga side Hoffenheim until the end of the season, scored the sixth goal in the U21s 7-0 thumping of Andorra in Chesterfield, an impudent flick with his trailing leg at close range.

Nelson has seen close friend Jadon Sancho head to the Bundesliga, star for Borussia Dortmund and now earn himself a first England senior call-up. The 18-year-old says Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate has convinced him he can follow in Sancho’s footsteps.

“Gareth has made it clear that the pathway is there so if you’re young and you’re good he’ll give you a chance,” Nelson said. “It’s good for me that I came through the ranks, I came from U16s all the way up to U21s.

“I’m trying to get in there and do my magic. A little bit showed today and I’m very happy to be there.”

Nelson left Arsenal on loan earlier this summer having rejected the lure of Monaco and Real Madrid to sign a new three-year contract with his boyhood club before swiftly heading to Germany on loan.

The winger is eager to learn from Hoffenheim head coach Julian Nagelsmann, whose reputation for developing young players is such that he was under consideration when Arsene Wenger left Arsenal, after seeing his progress stall at the Emirates last season. Nelson has made the most of his more regular opportunities and has two goals to his name from his first three Bundesliga appearances.

“It was difficult,” he told Talksport of his decision to leave north London. “Arsenal is my boyhood club, they’re a big part of my life. At the end of the day I’m at an age where I want to play football and Hoffenheim is where that [chance] was. I had to get up and be strong, be independent and take my chance in Germany.

“I’m just here to play my football in Germany. Hopefully I’ll come back in a couple of months – if it’s a year so be it – ready to play in Arsenal’s first team.”