Premier League footballer Reiss Nelson is being sued by his former physical therapist who claims the Arsenal star's dog attacked and injured him in December 2020

Arsenal winger Reiss Nelson is being sued by a physical therapist who claims he was attacked by the Gunners star's dog.

Saeid Motaali - who is the footballer's former sports massage therapist - claims that Nelson's Italian mastiff, Tiago, jumped towards his neck before biting him on the arm he used to protect himself. The alleged attack is said to have occurred after Motaali asked for a selfie with the Arsenal star and his pet following a massage session.

The 50-year-old has made a High Court claim against Nelson, as per the Evening Standard. The therapist accuses his former client of being responsible for the attack and claims to have been unable to work since the incident occurred in 2020.

Motaali’s legal team told the Evening Standard: "He took a photograph of Nelson and the dog and was in the process of taking a ‘selfie’ type picture of the dog when, as he started to turn away, the dog jumped up at him towards his neck."

Nelson has previously denied the accusation. Mirror Football has contacted Arsenal for comment.

Motaali claims to have 'put his left arm up to protect himself whereupon the dog bit his left forearm' before he 'yanked his arm away from the dog’s mouth' as the canine left its mark.

Nelson stands accused of failing to control his dog by not utilising a muzzle or lead. The mastiff is said to have been trained as a guard dog. It is understood the claim has been filed at the High Court by law firm Fieldfisher, acting on behalf of Mr Motaali.

The claim said: “The dog was being trained as a guard dog and hence had been trained to show aggression. The dog was a large powerful animal with sharp teeth and was ever likely to cause severe damage when biting a person."

Motaali claims to have served as Nelson’s sports massage therapist for around three years before the alleged attack. Both parties are said to have been in the kitchen of the Arsenal youth product's multi-million pound home in Hadley Wood.

Nelson is also set to face trial at Hendon Magistrates' Court for being in charge of a dog which caused injury while dangerously out of control, in relation to the incident, in August this year. After arriving in court in September 2023, the former Feyenoord loanee saw his trial delayed as more evidence was being gathered.