Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic was one of the best players in the Premier League, out of the restart, and as such he’s been rewarded by being named to Young Player of the Year short list.
Although Pulisic missed a significant amount of time due to an adductor injury suffered on New Year’s Day, and he struggled at first to get a regular place in Frank Lampard’s first team, the American has overall enjoyed a quite superlative first season in the Premier League.
The 21-year-old has been Chelsea’s most productive and efficient offensive player, scoring goals, registering assists and winning penalties at a rate that’s so efficient, it can only be matched by elite, world class footballers.
As we saw in the FA Cup Final, he’s the Blues’ most creative and important player in the final third, and when he’s missing it’s just not the same.
The most expensive American in history, moving over from Borussia Dortmund for €64 million in January 2019, he’s been every bit worth every Euro/British pound, and then some.
Although Christian Pulisic injured his hamstring in the cup final last weekend, he is not expected to miss a significant amount of time. It sounds like he’ll miss the preseason, and perhaps the first week or two of 20-21. When the new season starts up again, he’ll be a huge part of Lampard’s plans.
Competition for the award will be fierce, with Pulisic’s favorite team as a boy, Manchester United, landing three attackers and one on loan goalkeeper on the list. More on that here.
Premier League Young Player of the Year Award Short List
Chelsea- Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount
Manchester United- Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Mason Greenwood
Sheffield United- Dean Henderson
Liverpool- Trent Alexander-Arnold
Aston Villa- Jack Grealish
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
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