Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea's boss, said Christian Pulisic was "really struggling" following a series setbacks in his ankle rehabilitation. However, he expressed hope that the United States could soon be back to action.
Pulisic has not played for club or country since suffering the injury in the second half of a World Cup qualifier against Honduras, Sept. 8.
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The 22-year old will be Chelsea's only absentee in Wednesday's Champions League home match with Malmo. Tuchel spoke out about the difficulties Pulisic has faced as he tries to make his mark after he made two Premier League appearances this season.
Tuchel stated that he was injured in a match against USA. He was injured by a hard foul. There's nothing to be concerned about in terms of the fact that we are keeping details hidden or not telling details. Because I'm not a doctor, I can't give you all details.
He is experiencing some pain at the moment. This is not due to major injuries or complications. He is only experiencing pain in his ankle.
"Once players have these quick movements, like Christian, and feel the pain, it is impossible to recover. So you start over. The pain returns and you must pause before starting again.
"Right now we are very, very close. He was so close to coming to team training last Wednesday, and he had a small setback and a reaction, not serious but severe pain. We move on from there.
He is impatient. He is very impatient and does all the things. We can see his suffering in every meeting. Every time we meet him in our training centre, we can see that he is truly suffering. He is eager to help us and be on the pitch. Everyone is trying their best but the injury can be slow.
Christian Pulisic's appearances at Chelsea this season have been limited to just two. Photo by Chloe Knott/Getty Images
Chelsea survived a Brentford second-half assault last weekend and emerged victorious with a 1-0 victory. Romelu Lukaku, a 115 million signing for summer 2013, was replaced by Chelsea after another subdued performance.
Tuchel stated that Lukaku is suffering from cumulative fatigue after an exhausting spell playing with Belgium. Lukaku was knocked out at Euro 2020's quarterfinal stage by Italy, before being defeated in a dramatic Nations League final by France earlier this month.
Tuchel stated that Romelu was too overplayed in his opinion. He played in too many competitions this summer, including too many with the national team. He played in the Nations League. He is an amazing athlete, and a fierce competitor. He is determined to win. He wants to win.
"Once he has found his rhythm, he will be able to make things easier. It's hard to decide if he needs a break or if it is better to keep him on pitch. This is how I feel for him and the other players.
