Christian Pulisic hands Chelsea injury blow after withdrawing from USMNT squad to face Japan

Chelsea forward Christian Pulisic has suffered an injury setback during international duty with the USMNT.

The winger was in line to face Japan on Friday but it was confirmed that he was not in the roster due to picking up a knock.

This will come as a blow to Pulisic, who is looking to play more football ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

With the September international break the last chance for players to feature for their country ahead of the tournament, Pulisic will no doubt be disappointed at the timing of the injury.

The former Borussia Dortmund star has struggled for game time at Stamford Bridge this season, but will be hoping to turn his fortunes around.

Former boss Thomas Tuchel was dismissed from his role as head coach and replaced by Graham Potter.

Pulisic will most likely have seen this as an opportunity to impress the new man in charge at Chelsea and earn his place into the team.

After having a departure blocked in the summer amid interest from Manchester United and Newcastle, Pulisic will be looking to earn his place at Chelsea ahead of the World Cup.

However, he may have been dealt a setback, with the USMNT confirming he picked up a knock in training this week.

Their statement wrote: “Christian Pulisic is off today’s roster because of a knock he took in training earlier this week.”

The USMNT continued to confirm that he will be assessed before their next match, facing Saudi Arabia at the end of the month. 

“He will be evaluated day-to-day for his availability to play against Saudi Arabia on Sept. 27 in Murcia, Spain,” they concluded.

It remains to be seen as to the extent of the injury but Pulisic and Chelsea will both be hoping for a speedy recovery and that he is available upon returning from national duty.

Chelsea face Crystal Palace in Potter’s first Premier League match for the Blues on October 1.

Pulisic has been unable to displace Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz and Mason Mount at the start of the season.

The addition of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will not have made his task easier, with the Blues stacked in attack.

However, the winger has been preferred from the bench over Hakim Ziyech several times this season and will be hopeful of avoiding injury in order to return fully fit and ready to fight for his place in the Blues' attack.