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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Jonathan Gorrie

Jadon Sancho reveals Chelsea star Christian Pulisic had impact on his decision to join Borussia Dortmund

Manchester United forward Jadon Sancho has revealed Christian Pulisic helped inspire his decision to join Borussia Dortmund in 2017.

While the sight of young English players upping sticks and moving to mainland Europe is slightly more common now, Sancho was something of a trailblazer.

Indeed, his decision to leave Manchester City in pursuit of first-team football appeared to spark somewhat of a chain reaction, with the likes of former Tottenham youngster Noni Madueke and latterly Jude Bellingham following suit.

Given his position at City, a move to another English club was surely possible for Sancho, though his switch to Dortmund was a resounding success.

In 137 games for the club, the 21-year-old scored 50 goals and registered 64 assists, winning the DFB-Pokal in his final season while establishing himself as a regular at international level.

It was that big decision to move to a new country that helped propel his career, ultimately leading to a £73m move to Old Trafford in July.

Speaking to United’s official website about the trajectory of his career, Sancho opened up on the role Pulisic played in helping him decide his future.

“Dortmund just really caught my eye,” he said.

“Listening to what they had to offer me and also who they had there.

“They had Christian Pulisic and he was, at the time, probably 19. Seeing him do well, I kind of looked at him thinking ‘that could be me’.”

“Luckily enough, they gave me that opportunity and I was doing well.”

The American joined Dortmund as a young player himself, moving to the club aged 16. Together, they played 29 games before Pulisic moved to Chelsea.

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