Pulisic October squad decision made, as €30m-rated Chelsea player makes decision over his future
Chelsea star Christian Pulisic has been ruled out of next month’s international squad, as he hasn’t been selected by U.S. boss Gregg Berhalter for next month’s international games.
The U.S. will take on Jamaica on October 7, Panama on October 10 and Costa Rica on October 13, but Pulisic has been ruled out after suffering an injury during the last round of World Cup qualifiers.
The Chelsea star has been dealing with an ankle injury suffered in the win over Honduras, and hasn’t featured for Chelsea ever since.
Speaking after the win against Tottenham, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel gave an update on Pulisic as he revealed that he wasn’t back in training.
He said: “I think for Christian the game against Aston Villa [in the Carabao Cup in midweek] is maybe a bit too close. I hope that I’m wrong but this is my impression.
“He’s not in training so far but let’s see tomorrow. Maybe if he had a good progression today, maybe it’s possible. It would be super nice for us to have him but for me it’s a bit doubtful.”
Pulisic has been missed in the squad, and for some time now he hasn’t been able to put in consistent displays as he is most often out through injury. His pace and skills were definitely missed against a tightly packed Juventus defence.
€30m-rated Chelsea player makes decision over his future
Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger is keen to remain at Stamford Bridge for the foreseeable future. The 28-year-old defender has earned himself a new lease of life under the German manager and is one of the most essential footballers in the Blues system.
Antonio’s deal expires in summer 2022, and Chelsea risk losing a crucial first-team footballer for free. Germany international is not short of options and has attracted attention from Juventus, Bayern and Real Madrid, while the likes of Tottenham, Barcelona are also among the teams interested in the defender.
It represents a remarkable turnaround for a footballer who looked to be on his way out only last summer. The Blues, for their part, are keen to keep Rudiger, and thankfully for them, the footballer is also keen to stay put. At 28, the German centre-back is in his prime and can be a mainstay for Chelsea in the years to come.
Centre-back is a position that Thomas Tuchel will need to address in the coming transfer windows. Brazilian Thiago Silva remains competent but is not getting any younger. The same holds for Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta as well. This makes keeping Antonio all the more important.
Discussions between the team and the footballer’s representatives in the last few days have been positive. There appears to be real optimism now that an agreement can be reached. Securing Antonio’s future will enable the Blues to focus on other possible incomings. It will at the very least be one less position for them to worry about.