Arsenal loanee Nelson breaks Firmino record with latest Hoffenheim strike

Reiss Nelson has become the youngest Hoffenheim player to score seven Bundesliga goals, breaking the previous record set by Roberto Firmino in 2012.

The winger, on loan at the Bundesliga side from Arsenal, netted his side's second in a 2-0 win over Hertha Berlin, heading home a Nico Schulz with 15 minutes left.

At 19 years and 125 days old, Nelson has reached the tally 225 days younger than Brazil forward Firmino was when he did while on his way to netting 49 goals for the Germans before sealing a move to Liverpool. 

It has taken just 19 games for Nelson to net seven goals for Julian Nagelsmann's team, who are sixth in the German top-flight and aiming to seal a place in next season's Europa League. 

However, Sunday's strike brought an end to his 11-game goalless run, with his last goal for the team coming in November against Augsburg.

Nelson was exiled from the Hoffenheim squad for a brief period after turning up 20 minutes late for training one day, but has bounced back to maintain a place in the squad after accepting responsibility for his error.

“You can make mistakes but it’s your job and you shouldn’t be late," he said last month.

“I held my hand up and I said sorry to him and we both moved on as bigger men. He put me in the squad the next week because I’d been doing well.”

He is not the only English player impressing in Germany this year, though. To go with Nelson's impressive record, Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho has netted 10 times in the league this season. 

Their combined 17 goals equals the Bundesliga record of goals scored by English players in a single season, which was set in 1978-79 by Kevin Keegan during his spell at Hamburg.

Meanwhile, it was a good day for Nelson's coach Nagelsmann, who recorded his 50th win in the Bundesliga, needing just 111 games to reach the milestone.

Nagelsmann will leave the club at the end of the season, having already agreed to join RB Leipzig.