Pulisic not interested in Hazard comparisons

Despite playing in a similar position, Chelsea's Christian Pulisic does not want to draw parallels between himself and Eden Hazard.

Published : Jul 20, 2019 22:21 IST

Christian Pulisic made his first appearance for Chelsea in a 1-0 defeat to Kawasaki Frontale.
Christian Pulisic made his first appearance for Chelsea in a 1-0 defeat to Kawasaki Frontale.
lightbox-info

Christian Pulisic made his first appearance for Chelsea in a 1-0 defeat to Kawasaki Frontale.

Christian Pulisic does not believe he is under any additional pressure to fill Eden Hazard's boots at Chelsea, with the United States international insisting he is his "own player".

The 20-year-old agreed to a €64 million (£58 million) move from Borussia Dortmund in January before finishing the season on loan at the Bundesliga club.

Pulisic has now joined his new Chelsea team-mates for pre-season and made his first appearance for the club in a 1-0 defeat to Kawasaki Frontale on Friday.

Hazard left Stamford Bridge when he signed a five-year deal with La Liga giant Real Madrid last month, and despite playing in a similar position to the Belgium international, Pulisic is adamant that he will not be weighed down by the inevitable comparisons.

READ | Lampard 'feeling good' as he settles into Chelsea role

"I'm not here to compare or anything," he told Sky Sports News . "Obviously Eden was amazing and he did so well for this club, as you could see last season and the whole time he's been here. He was an incredible player.

"For me, it's coming in as my own player, proving myself and doing the best I can to help this team.

"Right now, it's going in and helping the team whatever way I can. It's just bringing an intensity into the training first of all and earning respect in the beginning. Then I want to make an impact as much as I can on the pitch."

Pulisic will hope to continue his preparations for the 2019-20 campaign when the Blues take on Barcelona in a friendly on Tuesday.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment