Christian Pulisic has revealed how he ignores the "outside noise" of modern football in order to focus on delivering his best for both Borussia Dortmund and the USA.
Pulisic, 20, will face Wayne Rooney in his final game for England at Wembley as the Three Lions host the USMNT in Thursday night's friendly.
While Pulisic and Rooney are at the complete opposite ends of their respective careers, the Three Lions’ all-time top scorer may know a little of the pressures facing the American.
Pulisic has been linked with a host of big Premier League clubs in recent transfers windows (notably Liverpool and Chelsea) for his performances in the Bundesliga, which have earned him the nickname 'Captain America' - the one player to carry the nation into a new generation.
But Pulisic says: "I really don’t put that pressure on myself. Obviously a lot of Americans do.
"All I can do is give my best, be a part of this team, be there for the young guys. I mean I’m young too, but just be there for them and help this team to grow and help these guys out.
"I just don't deal with it very much. I am not constantly checking articles, what people are saying [on] Twitter.
"I am not looking at any of that stuff: I am focused on what I need to do most of the year; that means being focussed on Dortmund so when I come to [USMNT] camp I do the same things, focus myself here so it is not difficult for me to not really worry about the outside noise.
"It is [not] like I'm shutting down - 'I can't read that, I can't read this' - it is about learning to hear that and stuff like that and not letting it affect you. Knowing what your job is and who you should be listening to and how you can get better."
