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The injury bug has come for Christian Pulisic once again.
The USMNT winger seemed to be in the ascendency at club Chelsea after a strong World Cup showing, starting each of the Blues’ first two matches following the Premier League’s restart and earning a spot in the starting lineup in Thursday’s game against Manchester City.
Pulisic made a dangerous run into the box in the 16th minute and tried to lash a strike onto a well-weighted ball from Kai Havertz, but City center back John Stones’s perfectly-timed tackle thwarted his effort—and appeared to injure the Chelsea winger in the process.
The USMNT star limped around the pitch for several more minutes before coming off in the 22nd. It was the second substitution Chelsea was forced to make in the opening stage of the match—winger Raheem Sterling exited in the fifth minute.
Pulisic’s Chelsea career has been marred with injuries since he was brought over from Borussia Dortmund for $73 million, a record number for an American player. After a promising first season in the Premier League in which he tallied nine goals and four assists, the 24-year-old has struggled to secure a place in the West London club’s starting XI.
His World Cup performance showed the promise that prompted his massive transfer fee: He was the U.S.’s best-attacking player, creating dangerous goalscoring opportunities and sending home the lone goal in the side’s 1–0 win over Iran that sent it through to the knockout stage.
Pulisic’s name is reportedly making the rounds in the transfer market in the January window. Both Newcastle United and Manchester United are reportedly interested in a potential deal. Another injury added to his laundry list of missed time over the last three years would be another setback in a Premier League career that hasn’t quite gotten off the ground.
