Christian Pulisic has long been the no. 10 of the USMNT but new rumors are linking him with a team that is considering how to replace a no. 11. Both Manchester United and Liverpool are interested in the attacker according to reports. Liverpool may need to replace Mo Salah as his contract is set to expire and Manchester United may need to replace everything as they’re not very good.
This comes at a time when CP10 is flourishing in his career finally. After having a solid debut with Chelsea he found himself on the outs in London and moved to AC Milan. He’s not just a starter, he’s a key player for the team and is getting recognition for being on the cusp of joining the ranks of the top attacking talent in the world. Naturally, the question is if he should stay or go.
If he stays there’s no reason to think he wouldn’t continue to have success in Italy and have the chance to make a name for himself in the Champions League. If he leaves he will be challenging himself at a higher level though the cost will be leaving a situation where he is a star player. Not to say there isn’t pressure with AC Milan, but a move to Liverpool comes with the expectation that he replace a club legend. A move to Man United brings the expectation that the team will compete for league titles and regain its status as a Premier League team that the world fears rather than something of a floundering side being mocked by bloggers.
Pulisic has never been a player who wasn’t up for a challenge and who didn’t believe in himself. His move to Chelsea was certainly an ambitious one for a 21 year-old and he’s stepped up with one of the most storied clubs in Europe after needing to regain his footing. He now has a chance to take on a role with bigger clubs, higher pay and higher expectations.
As far as how this may affect his play with the national team, Pulisic has been nothing if not consistent with the Stars and Stripes in terms of scoring goals. The main challenge to what he could or could not achieve with the USMNT was more related to his health than to how many minutes he was getting with his club team.
Succeeding with either Liverpool or Manchester United would enable him to further his career. It would show that he could live up to the hype that sent him to Chelsea when he was considered a top young talent in the world. The move to Liverpool would be particularly fitting should he replace Salah, a player who famously didn’t find a role at Chelsea only to become a club legend and top player in the game. That Pulisic is being thought of as someone who could be a part of a plan to replace the Egyptian speaks volumes. Actually pulling it off would similarly put him in elite company.
