Christian Pulisic was one of the top-performing players in the US men’s national team that blew away Panama in a friendly fixture on Sunday. The AC Milan star assisted Yunus Musah to break the deadlock in the 49th minute. Ricardo Pepi made it 2-0 for USMNT in the second-half stoppage time.
Mauricio Pochettino, who took over the charge of the US team in September, sees Pulisic as a crucial component of the squad. During a press conference ahead of the international friendly, the Argentine manager hailed Pulisic as “one of the best offensive players in the world.”
“I think he (Pulisic) is a fantastic player. I think that we are a little bit worried that sometimes we need to protect him. We see because he arrived a little bit tired, but that is a thing that I told him before is to build a very good relationship with the club and try to help,” Pochettino said, according to ESPN.
After ending a difficult spell with Chelsea, Pulisic shifted his base to Milan in the summer of 2023. He has not taken much time to become a key member of the Serie A giants. He has started in all nine matches for AC Milan across all competitions this season. The 26-year-old has struck six goals while registering two assists.
Pochettino wants Pulisic to replicate his sublime form for the US as well. “When we really need him, he needs to be in form, happy, strong and the quality is there because he has an enormous talent,” the 52-year-old said.
After his impressive show against Panama, Cristian Pulisic has been rested for the upcoming international friendly against Mexico, scheduled for October 16. Four other players– Marlon Fossey, Weston McKennie, Ricardo Pepi and Zack Steffen– will also miss the game due to injury issues. No additional names, however, have been included in the US squad,
“As we have said, we are always going to make decisions that are in the best interest of our players and respect the relationship we have with their clubs,” Pochettino said.
Pulisic will now reunite with AC Milan, who are gearing up to face Udinese in the next Serie A fixture on October 19.
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