Born in Hoogezand, Nijland began his professional career during the 2007–08 season with Groningen and signed a contract with the club until 2009.

[2] Nijland made his Groningen debut, where he set up one of the goals, in a 3–0 win against NAC Breda in the opening game of the season on 18 August 2007.

[4] He continued to make a handful of first team appearances and then scored his first goals for the club, in an 8–1 win over IJsselmeervogels in the second round of KNVB Cup on 26 September 2007.

[6] After two months on the sidelines, he made his first team return on 9 December 2007, coming on as a substitute in the second half, in a 4–2 loss against Heerenveen.

[12] Despite suffering from ankle injury,[13] Nijland finished his first season at Groningen, making twenty–three appearances and scoring six times in all competition.

On 24 August 2008, Nijland left Groningen when he was transferred to PSV for a fee of €4 million, signing a five–year contract, keeping him until 2013.

In the 2009–10 season, Nijland made one appearance for PSV, where he came on as a substitute in the second half, in a 2–0 win over Roda JC in the third round of KNVB Cup.

[20] Following his loan spell at Willem II came to an end, he scored on his first appearance for the club in the 2010–11 season, in a 3–0 win over Sparta Rotterdam in second round of KNVB Cup.

[26] Nijland made his Willem II debut on 13 January 2010 in a friendly match against UD Ojen, where he scored five goals, in a 9–1 victory for the club.

[48] However, his first season at PEC Zwolle was a disappointment for him, as his first team opportunities was limited and restricted into making twenty–five appearances and scoring two times in all competition.

[56] At the start of 2015, he scored three more goals against Utrecht[57] and Dordrecht[58] before receiving a straight red card, in a 1–0 loss against Go Ahead Eagles on 15 February 2015.