Christian Pulisic of Chelsea FC is slowly getting back into the groove. The 21-year-old midfielder has managed to come up with credible performances since returning from an adductor injury, and Blues manager Frank Lampard believes he is on the right track. However, the 42-year-old coach believes that Pulisic has what it takes to reach another level and rank among the likes of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, and Raheem Sterling.
That in mind, Lampard has issued a challenge to Pulisic. He wants the American football player to aim higher and use Salah, Mane, and Sterling as a barometer. Lampard points out how Pulisic was able to break out at such an early age and urges him to stay the course.
"If he looks at players around him that have made that sort of a jump, he has the ability like Raheem Sterling to produce numbers from wide areas, like [Mo] Salah and [Sadio] Mane. He understands the work that needs to be done to do that. He definitely has the talent, he needs to get to that level," Lampard said.
Pulisic is still feeling his way after sitting out the past months due to injury. He did not start against Aston Villa but was fielded in by the second half. Pulisic made the most out of that opportunity, scoring after five minutes. Chelsea won that game, 2-1.
Against Manchester City, Pulisic started for the Blues and came out with an impressive outing. He owned the lone goal for Chelsea, scoring in the 36th minute. From the way he is playing, there is no question that the 21-year-old is on the right track. But for Lampard, he feels that the USMNT star still has a lot to show, Sky Sports reported.
"I think he can be a really big player, because he broke through at such a young age in Germany and he made a big move, obviously expectations rise but you have to keep the age in consideration," Lampard said.
The progress of Pulisic is promising, although he admitted he is being cautious. At one point, he seemed anxious to return to action, believing he had fully recovered from his adductor injury. He admitted not taking it seriously and realized that pushing yourself when you are not ready was pretty risky.
“I didn’t take it as seriously as I think I should have. It was one of those you felt you could do a lot of things but you try to push it that one extra step and realize it’s not ready yet," Pulisic said via the team's official website.
