CHRISTIAN PULISIC is on a specialised training regime with Chelsea growing increasingly concerned over his injury record.
The American has yet to feature this season and remains sidelined with a hamstring issue he picked up in the FA Cup final in August.
Christian Pulisic is nearing a return from a hamstring injuryCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Pulisic, 22, faced lengthy spells on the treatment table last season including missing almost three months with a groin problem.
And boss Frank Lampard admits they are having to cautious over the £58million star’s return to prevent further setbacks.
Ahead of the clash with West Brom, he said: “There is always a concern about players’ fitness when the history says there has been some injuries and last season we did have it with Christian.
“I was questioned many times on my position on Christian when he did play and didn’t play.
“Of course, when you look at a player with his recent record, you are trying to find the right way, the right balance of getting the best out of him.
“We saw that in big periods last year and making sure you don’t overcook him and leave him susceptible to injury, particularly a player of his explosive pace and balance. That’s a fine line.
“We are working on that and Christian is also very open to that.
“He wants to play, he is so hungry to play and he is very nearly fit now but it is certainly something we will have to manage with him this season because we have all seen the talent and it is something we want to get right.
“I am not saying it is a fundamental chronic issue, it’s not.
“But we want to get as many minutes of the really great Christian we saw lots of last season on the pitch.”
Pulisic has shown plenty of glimpses why Chelsea forked out a hefty fee for him from Borussia Dortmund in January 2019.
He scored nine and assisted four in 25 league starts including a perfect hat-trick against Burnley.
Lampard will be hoping to have Pulisic in contention to face Crystal Palace next Saturday.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek runs riot on 1-on-1 Chelsea training
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
