In the four matches the 27-year-old played in North America, he failed to hit the back of the net and recorded just one assist. In the match against Belgium, Pulisic was forced off injured just before the hour-mark with his side 3-1 down.
Pulisic spoke about his injury in his post-match interview. He said: “I just twisted and sprained my ankle. It’s frustrating to end like that, of course, but now I get time to rest, so it’ll be okay.”
Pulisic underwent X-ray and MRI scans on Tuesday to determine the extent of the injury. It has since emerged that he suffered a leg fracture and bone bruise, an injury which is expected to keep him out for several weeks.
Following the injury update, Lloyd was told to apologise by a football fan on X. The fan wrote: “Waiting for apology now, you went overboard on one of the greatest Americans to play this game. Champions League winner, etc. You owe him a direct apology.”
The 44-year-old has refused to back down, though. She replied:
“I don’t owe anyone an apology. My comment wasn’t about his post game interview. He skipped Gold Cup last summer because he wanted to rest and be ready for WC. He ended up resting the whole year. That’s the facts. Nothing personal against him.”
Alexi Lalas Defends Christian Pulisic
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Gary Vasquez
FOX Sports pundit and former USMNT player Alexi Lalas has defended Pulisic following the criticism. The 56-year-old, who made 96 appearances for his country, said on his podcast:
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“When it comes to Christian Pulisic, in terms of him eventually and potentially being the best male American soccer player, I think it’s now going to have to be relative to what he does from a club perspective. Which has been incredible, but he is yet to have that World Cup and that type of moment that transcends and surpasses all of his club accomplishments. And it remains to be seen whether going forward this team is going to be built around Christian Pulisic.
“I still think he has a lot to give. But this has hurt his brand; this has hurt the perception of who he is as the face and Captain America. You know the accusations of being soft, what happened last summer and all that. That’s not going to go away, and that is now on his resume, if you will.
“But you know, he is a big boy. I think he can handle it, and who knows, maybe next World Cup ends up being his World Cup, but I think there is going to be a lot of change when it comes to this team going forward.”
Arsenal remain in regular contact with Bayer Leverkusen striker Christian Kofane, although the player’s agent is currently holding talks with Everton over a potential switch to Merseyside, according to journalist David Schill.
Kofane enjoyed an impressive debut campaign with the German outfit, scoring seven goals and providing six assists in 44 appearances across all competitions. This form has prompted interest from several clubs, including the Gunners and the Toffees.
However, it now appears that a switch to the Hill Dickinson Stadium could be on the cards for the Nigerian forward.
Arsenal Target Christian Kofane Speaking to Everton
Speculation linking Kofane with Arsenal first emerged in March after the Gunners defeated Leverkusen over two legs in the Champions League round of 16. Arteta is said to have admired the 19-year-old’s performance against his team, after the youngster caught the eye by causing imperious centre-back William Saliba issues throughout the tie.
Heading into this window, multiple reports suggested that Arsenal’s sporting director Andrea Berta is intent on adding another striker to Arteta’s squad.
Kofane, described as ‘one of Europe’s most exciting strikers’ is understood to be on the Gunners’ shortlist for this position, although it now appears as though the player could be slipping away from them.
David Schill reports that Kofane’s agent, Eric Depolo, arrived at Everton’s training ground earlier this week to discuss a potential move to the north-west.
A positive meeting was held between the two parties, with the Merseysiders now pushing to accelerate a deal for the prodigy number nine.
That said, Everton’s desire to get on with things is said to be born out of fear of competition, with many clubs still circling for Kofane. Arsenal are among those still in the race, although they’ll have to move quickly if they want to hijack their Premier League rivals’ move for the player.
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Arsenal Should Move for Junior Kroupi Instead
Gabriel Jesus is expected to leave Arsenal this summer, making a centre-forward signing somewhat necessary. Adding a younger player who can develop alongside the likes of Havertz and Gyokeres makes sense, although Kofane may not be the right man.
While the Nigerian has shown glimpses of promise for Leverkusen, his output in the Bundesliga doesn’t suggest he’s ready to make an impact for a club competing for football’s biggest prizes.
Kroupi netted 13 goals in the Premier League last season, and only turned 20 in June. He may cost upwards of £80 million, but this is still a deal Berta should explore.
Rangers manager Derek McInnes is looking to sign another player who he managed at Hearts last season after Lawrence Shankland.
There’s no doubt Rangers need to invest significantly during the summer transfer window after falling short in the Scottish Premiership title race last season.
The Ibrox outfit looked in with a chance of battling for first place after the league split, but they fell off a cliff towards the end of the season.
If they don’t want to fall further behind their rivals Celtic and even Hearts, they need to bring in reinforcements in the coming weeks.
The Glasgow club have already secured the signature of Dan Neil, Shankland, Ivor Pandur, Ben Godfrey and Ross McCrorie so far.
It’s been a busy window for McInnes’ side, but it appears their business isn’t over yet.
Rangers Eyeing Hearts Star
According to a report from Sky Sports, Rangers are interested in signing Cammy Devlin following his departure from Hearts.
The 28-year-old left Hearts this summer after five years, failing to agree a new deal.
Devlin could follow in the footsteps of Shankland, leaving Hearts and joining their former manager McInnes at Ibrox.
The report claims that Rangers are also in talks over deals to sign Tromso’s Jens Hjertø-Dahl and Partizan Belgrade captain Vanja Dragojevic.
Former USA star Jermaine Jones has chimed in and given his thoughts amid heavy criticism of Christian Pulisic following their World Cup exit.
Many high profile figures, including Carli Lloyd and Landon Donovan, have slammed Pulisic after the USMNT were thrashed 4-1 by Belgium in the last 16. Pulisic played 59 minutes before being subbed off through injury.
Jermaine Jones Sends Message to Former Players Criticising Christian Pulisic
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Jessie Alcheh
Jones, who played 69 times for the United States and captained his country twice, has made his feelings clear regarding the widespread criticism of Pulisic.
The 44-year-old, who featured for the USA at the 2014 World Cup, took to X (formerly Twitter) to defend Pulisic. He wrote:
“I strongly believe Christian Pulisic is the greatest American player of all time. I had the privilege of playing with some of the U.S. players and for me, no one matches him.
“What I find disappointing is seeing former players try to downplay his career or talent.
“Be careful throwing stones when you live in a glass house. Respect what Pulisic has done for U.S. Soccer and outside of America.”
He added: “What about the other players who had a really bad day? [Sergino] Dest, [Tim] Ream, [Matt] Freese? I watched the game they all had shockers.
“So what? That’s football. Bad days happen. They’ll all learn from it, grow, and come back stronger.”
Tim Howard Reacts to Christian Pulisic’s Post-Match Interview
“Yeah, rubbed some people the wrong way. I don’t envy Christian Pulisic right now. That’s a difficult place to be. I do, though, believe that the sort of perceived nonchalantness is not that he doesn’t care. I think he’s hurting. I think he’s aware. I think that’s his own defense mechanism.
“All I can is, I think it’s impossible for him to feel the way that he felt – being one of the leaders on that team and being the biggest name and the best player with his ankle hurt and getting crushed going out of a World Cup – I would find it almost impossible for him to give a legitimately nonchalant interview. So, there’s something else going on there.”
He added: “To whom much is given, much is required. He is the face of his team. He is undoubtedly its best player. When that happens, you receive all the money, and all the acclaim. And he’ll receive all the blame. I hope for his sake he isn’t on social media for the foreseeable future.
“He deserves a rest. Go on holiday…. What I would say about him is when someone shows you who they are, you believe them. I think he’s a nice footballer. I still think he’s the best player on the team. Outside of that, you’d have to ask me very direct questions to which I could give you very direct answers.”
