Chelsea manager Frank Lampard insisted he knew from the start that Christian Pulisic is a talented footballer. Lampard is dismissing the suggestions made by RB Salzburg boss Jesse Marsch that his compatriot Pulisic was slow to rise at Stamford Bridge and the Blues coach's oversight was to blame.
Marsch said Pulisic failed to impress Lampard at the onset because the winger came from the United States.
Indeed, Pulisic saw a slow start with Chelsea following his jump from Borussia Dortmund in 2019. With the west London club, the U.S. international took time to find his top form but eventually worked his way to the first-team.
Pulisic ended the last season with 10 goals and 11 assists, and Lampard was all praises with the 22-year-old forward. The Chelsea boss even declared that the American has a secured spot on the Blues squad.
And in reaction to the insinuations made by Marsch, Lampard insisted he never doubted that he has a talented player in Pulisic.
"I thought his performance last season was massively impressive. He will get better and better because he is a young player but I never doubted him in the first place," Lampard explained, and as reported by Goal.
Also, the boss pointed out that Pulisic did not make an immediate impact in the Premier League but not because he's an American. It might be that Pulisic had to understand first the rigors and other elements of the competition in England, and to his credit, Lampard said the star found his feet quickly and impressed in his season debut.
Pulisic, however, started the season recovering from an injury but started from the bench in Chelsea's Champions League match in Russia against Krasnodar. Unsurprisingly, the American registered on the scoresheet that saw the Blues scoring a 4-0 win and Lampard made clear that Pulisic "is an important player."
The assessment was shared by former Chelsea winger Joe Cole, who praised the young player for doing almost everything on the pitch. Pulisic can dribble, insert himself into the gameplay, and most importantly score goals, the pundit said.
"I would argue he's one of the most important players in Chelsea's attacking third because he can do everything," Metro reported Cole as saying.
He added that clearly, Pulisic is brimming with talents and Chelsea did miss his presence at the start of the campaign. The American though made his way back to the game with the Blues claiming a rousing win and the squad, criticized for their defensive leaks in the past, keeping a clean sheet.
