Christian Pulisic faces plenty of competition for playing time at Chelsea, which was underscored this week when Raheem Sterling joined the club from Manchester City.
As transfer rumors around the USMNT star continue to swirl, is there still room for Pulisic at Chelsea?
His former manager Frank Lampard thinks so.
“I think Christian can still be a big player for Chelsea, of course, a really big player, but that’s absolutely a question for the club and him,” Lampard told Pro Soccer Wire.
The United States men’s national team star signed with the London club for an American record $73 million in 2019. While Pulisic became a vital Chelsea player in Lampard’s second year at the helm, he has occasionally struggled with injuries and has been a sporadic starter under Thomas Tuchel.
“Christian needs to play games,” Lampard said. “I know what he’s like, he wants to play all the time. He’s had some injuries, I think it’s sometimes held him back at different times in his career. So I just hope we get the right solution. I have a lot of respect for Chelsea. It’s a huge club in my life and career. So I hope we get the best solution for both.”
During the 2019-20 season under Lampard, Pulisic started 19 of 25 games he played and scored 11 goals in all competitions, which is still the best scoring return he’s had with Chelsea.
Lampard, who currently manages Everton, believes the 23-year-old can match and even surpass that return in coming seasons because of his rare talents.
“I’ve got a lot of time for Christian,” Lampard said. “I think I worked well with him and just tried to develop him and had a really good relationship with him. He’s got incredible talent. He’s a great boy. I found him really pleasurable to work with as well as a talent.
“He’s really fast and [has a quick] change in direction and it’s balanced. He’s still a young player. It feels like he’s been around a long time because he broke through so young. So there’s still a lot to come from Christian, but those basics of the speed and balance is not [something] everyday players have. He’s special like that.”
Pulisic and Lampard are both in the United States for preseason tours. Pulisic and Chelsea play Club America Saturday in Las Vegas. Lampard, who helped Everton stay in the Premier League last season, begins preparation for his first full season in charge with a friendly against domestic rivals Arsenal on Saturday in Baltimore.
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