Before Jadon Sancho was striking fear into the heart of Bundesliga defenders, shattering records at a rate of knots, Christian Pulisic was doing the very same, a yellow-and-black blur blossoming from a waifish youngster into an All-American hero at Borussia Dortmund.
In fact, it was Pulisic who convinced Sancho to leave his family and friends behind when BVB came calling for the then-Manchester City wonderkid in 2017.
If the USA international could blossom one of European football’s most exciting prospects in front of the yellow wall, why could he not do exactly the same?
“The club had shown with Pulisic they were going in the right way, playing youngsters and giving them a chance,” Sancho told ESPN after his former Dortmund teammate sealed a £58 million move to Chelsea two years ago.
“He came from the same situation as me, leaving his family behind. He was so young, and he was brave.
“The passion he has. I admire him. He’s an outstanding player, I really do look up to him. Him going away from home shows that you have to do things to get out of your comfort zone, sometimes.”
While Sancho is likely to dominate the gossip columns again this summer with Manchester United a world-class talent or two away from a Premier League title-charge, Pulisic’s future appears equally uncertain.
According to the Mail, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and United themselves are all on red alert as Pulisic falls behind Callum Hudson-Odoi, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz in Chelsea’s pecking order.
The Hersey-born winger was expected to rediscover the glittering form of his debut season at Stamford Bridge when Thomas Tuchel, his former Dortmund boss, replaced Frank Lampard in February.
But Tuchel is no sentimentalist and, with a series of niggling injuries taking their toll on Pulisic’s development, the 22-year-old could become the latest unfortunate victim at a club which appears to live in a constant state of flux.
The Mail reports that Pulisic could push for a move if things do not change at Chelsea.
Could Sancho and his one-time Dortmund teammate be reunited in the North West next season; one at Old Trafford, the other at Anfield?
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