Ex-Chelsea star told he could reach ‘one other level’ by joining Manchester United | Football

Tim Howard says he would love to see ex-Chelsea man Christian Pulisic at Manchester United and is confident the forward could reach ‘one other level’ back within the Premier League.

Pulisic arrived at Chelsea with weighty expectations on his shoulders after completing a £58million transfer move from Borussia Dortmund back in January 2019.

The high-profile switch saw Pulisic change into the most costly American footballer in history and BVB’s second-biggest sale of all-time behind Ousmane Dembele.

But while Pulisic went on to lift the Champions League trophy with the Blues, he struggled to live as much as his hefty price tag and fell out of favour under Thomas Tuchel – not helped by persistent injury problems throughout his time at Stamford Bridge.

Within the years which have followed, Pulisic has managed to rebuild his profession in Italy with AC Milan, to the extent that the USA international is now widely considered to be among the many finest attacking talents in Serie A football.

Milan sit second within the table this season and Pulisic has been instrumental for Massimiliano Allegri’s side, racking up eight goals and two assists within the league. Inter striker Lisandro Martinez is the one player to outscore the American after 24 games.

Pulisic’s outstanding run of form has reportedly caught the eye of Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool in recent months – and his fellow countryman Howard shouldn’t be in in the least surprised.

‘I’m going to place him in a really high class here… Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah, we now know the finished products,’ the ex-Manchester United and USA goalkeeper said on Unfiltered Soccer when discussing the rumours linking Pulisic with a return to England.

‘Once I say those names, individuals are going to go, “Huh? Those are two of the best players in Premier League history”, but I remember Kevin De Bruyne at Chelsea, I remember Mohamed Salah at Chelsea.

‘They weren’t ok, apparently, so that they went abroad. Mohamed Salah went to Roma and Kevin De Bruyne went to Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg.

‘They were the players that they were, they gained confidence, they did all those things, they got here back to the Premier League after which it was game over, history was written.

‘I form of feel like that with Christian Pulisic as well because he was at Borussia Dortmund. We get it, it’s a giant club. He was still young, though, and he then goes to Chelsea.

‘I backed him to the hilt at Chelsea and unfortunately he didn’t get the rub of the green, went through some different coaches after which he went off. But he form of jogs my memory of Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne in that he went off, he’s matured and he’s older, and he’s gone to probably the greatest teams within the league.

‘He’s put AC Milan on his back and he’s been one of the best player in that league so now I believe, from the physical, football maturity-side, he now comes back to the Premier League, and he gets slotted right into a Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, I believe there’s actually one other level for him.

‘I personally prefer it.’

Asked if Pulisic could also be higher off joining a mid-table team over the likes of United or Arsenal, Howard replied: ‘It depends who you might be.

‘If his eyes are on the prize of claiming, “Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey… I need to place them in my wake, I need to be said in the identical breath as those guys”, and if that’s his mentality, I don’t know whether it is, then he’s going to have a look at this World Cup in another way.

‘If he’s saying, “I sort of need to play every week, be the guy”, then he can go to a number six through to eight team within the Premier League.

‘But when he’s really saying, “I’ve been to the Premier League, I’ve tasted what it’s like at the highest at a giant club like Chelsea, I need more of that, I’ve got something to prove here”… I don’t know his mentality but I believe he does [think like that] and I’d wish to see him on these teams.

‘If I have a look at Liverpool and I have a look at Arsenal, the jury is out on Manchester United… these are well-grooved teams, they are surely. They’re well run, they’re well-grooved, they’re playing well.

‘So in the event that they’re buying him and paying a good fee for him then they’ve a plan for him. It’s not a part of an experiment… perhaps it could be with Manchester United a bit of bit but it surely’s still Manchester United.’

Howard added: ‘I don’t think you possibly can turn that down personally.’

Howard’s podcast co-host Landon Donovan can be an enormous admirer of Pulisic’s talent and has been pleased to see the forward enjoy success in Italian football with AC Milan.

Nevertheless, considering Pulisic’s history of injury problems, Donovan has doubts about his compatriot having the ability to compete week-in, week out with the ‘monsters’ plying their trade within the Premier League.

‘This can be a scenario where I believe if he’s motivated and needs to go prove it, he’s able to it, going to one among these big clubs in England and he’s able to doing it,’ Donovan said.

‘The one hesitation I actually have actually, and that is just speaking from personal experience, however the physical a part of it’s an actual thing.

‘Christian is an outstanding athlete but a few of the athletes within the Premier League are monsters. And to do it 35, 40, 45 times a 12 months at that pace is absolutely hard.

‘We see him break down a bit of once in a while. I don’t know physically if he could do it each week for 2 or three years like a few of these guys since it’s really hard.’

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