Christian Pulisic has been tipped to be even better than Eden Hazard by two of Chelsea’s former players.
Having seen Hazard make the move to Real Madrid last summer, Pulisic has picked up the Belgian’s mantle and has enjoyed a promising first season at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues announced the signing of the American last January, with the 21-year-old enduring somewhat of a slow start the following season before kicking-on.
Pulisic scored 10 goals and grabbed 10 assists in all competitions during his debut season in England, proving many of his doubters wrong along the way.
His stats don’t quite match up to Hazard, who managed 13 goals and 24 assists during his first season with the Blues, although Pulisic has played 33 games compared to Hazard’s 62.
And former Chelsea stars Tony Cascarino and Frank Sinclair believe the American has all the makings of becoming an even better player than his predecessor.
“I’ve watched Pulisic develop and become a real player,” Cascarino told talkSPORT.
“Looking at Hazard’s stats in this first season for Chelsea, he got nine Premier League goals, and I keep thinking, ‘was Hazard as good then as Pulisic has been in his first year’?
“Pulisic has got nine Premier League goals as well this season, and I think he’s going to be one hell of a player.
“And he’s got one advantage over Hazard, he’s a total pro.
“Hazard was at Chelsea a long time, seven years, and over those years there were a few dips and sometimes he looked out of shape, but with Pulisic everything about him is professional.
“His pathway has been planned, the clubs he’s moved to to get to the holy grail of the Premier League, it’s all been programmed.
“And boy is he dangerous, he’s really coming on and I think if he stays at Chelsea he’ll prove better than Hazard.”
Sinclair added: “He’s been unbelievable for his first season.
“It’s very unfair to compare him to Eden Hazard right now, but what you can do is compare him to Eden Hazard when he first joined Chelsea, and that’s where you get a comparison that’s very similar.
“If anything Pulisic has probably had a bigger impact in his first season at the club than Eden did, so what the future holds for this player you can only imagine.”
