Danny Murphy says Christian Pulisic's performance against Liverpool shows how desperate he is to play in the FA Cup final for Chelsea.
The attacker was an unused substitute in Sunday's FA Cup semi-final win over Manchester United and had to make do with coming off the bench in Wednesday's 5-3 defeat at Anfield.
Yet he impressed in his cameo, netting a goal and looking dangerous against the Premier League champions.
Speaking on Match of the Day, Murphy argued that this showed Pulisic is aware he cannot be assured of a place in the Blues' starting XI.
He said: "After the game on Sunday, where they played so well, he might’ve been thinking to himself how he’s going to get back in the team for the final.
"But this guy is a super player. He’s two-footed, he scores goals, his decision-making is good and when he came on tonight, he was absolutely sensational.
"He had a little null in the middle of the season because he started it so well, but he looks like he’s desperate to get his place back for that final.
"He’s one of these players that can play on the left or right, but he’s always looking to get into the box."
Yet Murphy is unsure whether Pulisic will feature from the start against Arsenal at Wembley a week on Saturday.
The former Liverpool midfielder says he cannot see Frank Lampard playing both Pulsic and Mason in the same team due to wanting to match the way Arsenal play.
He said: “No I don’t because I think he’ll have to play a back-four, and if Arsenal play with a back-three, I think he’ll match them up."
