Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has admitted that his new arrival Christian Pulisic has the ability to hit the ground running ahead of their Premier League opener against Manchester United today.
The Blues signed Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund back in January 2019 in a £58 million deal but decided to loan him back to the German side for the remainder of the campaign. It would be natural for someone to take time to adapt to the pace of the Premier League but Lampard believes that the young American has the potential to adapt after working with him during the preseason tour.
The 20-year-old could be given his debut on Sunday in a hostile atmosphere at Old Trafford as Frank Lampard is also set to manage his first professional game as Chelsea manager. The former English midfielder spent one year as a manager at Derby County and almost led the Rams to Premier League promotion.
But while speaking to reporters ahead of the crunch game against Manchester United the 41 year old Lampard showered praise on his center-forward, “He has good ability, can beat a man, nice touch, He scored a couple of good goals in pre-season when he ran in behind defenses, which is what I really want from my wingers or attacking players. We also have to give it time because of his youth. Changing leagues, this is the Premier League, which is the most competitive league in the world, but there are some good signs. When I say I want to look after him, I don’t want to sound like I am talking down to him. He comes into the squad competing to play, for sure. We must be aware that there is a bit of a transitional period. Hopefully not because he hits the ground running. I think he has the quality to do that.”
