The 21-year-old`s meteoric rise towards professional football saw him travel to Oldham Athletic in April 2018 as cover for the first team squad.

That came just 12 months after the defender signed a two-year scholarship for the Shrimpers from non-League football.

A whirlwind year began when Mitchell-Nelson impressed during a successful trial period with Blues under-18s, featuring in two matches at the end of the 2016/17 campaign.

In the following season he took time to adapt to the rigours of full-time football, but he learned his lessons quickly after being dismissed against Luton Town to become one of the youth team’s stand-out performers.

Mitchell-Nelson became a regular for the under-23 side and having been handed a development contract in the summer of 2019, he linked up with then-Isthmian League South Central outfit Harlow Town on a `work experience`.

In February 2020 he made his Southend debut as a sub in the 2-1 win over Lincoln City and featured 6 times in total at the end of 2019/20 season.