Graham Potter has told Christian Pulisic to be ready to take his Chelsea chance but also stressed he is not concerned about getting his winger ready for the upcoming World Cup.
The 24-year-old grew frustrated under the previous manager Thomas Tuchel and has only started two games this season, one of which came under Potter against Wolves.
With a World Cup on the horizon, the US Men’s National Team are hoping Pulisic’s fortunes can turn and Potter echoes that sentiment, having seen him score in his only start under him.
“You can imagine my focus is on Chelsea,” Potter told reporters at Cobham.
“I understand that all the players have ambition and want to play for different reasons; for their families, careers, finances or World Cups. That’s all fine but it’s my job to select the right team for whatever game.
“I am not saying I am right all the time, I am not but somebody has got to make the call. With Christian, I would say he has been fantastic around the place, been really good with teammates, and contributed against Wolves.
“He is pushing for a place, pushing for a start. Things change quickly in football and he needs to be ready.”
The problem for Pulisic is Chelsea have won their last five games and four have come without him playing a significant role.
Most of the squad is performing well under new manager Potter, particularly England star Mason Mount.
Even still, the Cobham graduate has been criticised over a sustained period by some of his own supporters.
It’s not something that the previous managers Tuchel or Frank Lampard could understand and Potter echoed their views.
“It’s surprising, though, that I get a few questions about there being to be mixed opinions on Mason,” he added. “I find that strange, especially from the outside and then when you start to work with him, he’s got everything you need to be a top, top player.
“It’s part of life. Everyone is welcome to their opinions, and that’s fine. From my perspective as an outsider whenever we played against Chelsea you were always concerned about Mason.
“He has a great attitude, understands spaces, can execute assists, scores goals, so he’s top.
“Once you start to work with him you see the person you see how much he loves this football club. How much he loves his teammates, how much he is prepared to do the nasty, ugly side of the game that sometimes players of his level don’t do.
“In terms of working hard for the team, covering back. In terms of pressing, in terms of defensive transition, covering the ground, He does all that stuff and on top of that he has the quality I think is there.
“He is still a young player and it is hard to continually score and assist in the Premier League at any age but as a young player, he will get better and better. He is really exciting. I am excited about his future.”
Adding that he thinks his detractors miss that Mount is driven by ‘love’: “I would say [it is his] love for the game, love for his team-mates, love for the club. I think he loves to play football. You can’t measure that.”
