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What's the story?
Chelsea forward Christian Pulisic has insisted that he hasn't joined the West London side as replacement to the now departed Eden Hazard. The USA international, who believes he has come in as a player of his 'own', is solely focused on keeping the intensity going, working hard and helping the Blues.
In case you didn't know...
Christian Pulisic made the switch from Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea earlier this year, but only joined the club a week ago due to the six-month loan spell at Signal Iduna Park.
He plays down the wings, is pacy, direct and owns a bag of tricks up his sleeves - a few attributes that arealso present in the magical Eden Hazard, who completed his dream move to Real Madrid on a five-year deal after powering Chelsea to the Europa League title.
The heart of the matter
Many consider Pulisic to fill the gaping void left by Hazard, but the player insists he is more than just a replacement; someone who is more determined on performing his duties for the club and contributing to its progress.
Despite the similar positions manned by himself and Hazard, Pulisic expounded:
"I'm not here to compare or anything. Obviously Eden was amazing and he did so well for this club, as you could see last season and the whole time he's been here. He was an incredible player. For me, it's coming in as my own player, proving myself and doing the best I can to help this team."
He further explained:
"Right now it's going in and helping the team whatever way I can. It's just bringing an intensity into the training first of all and earning respect in the beginning. Then I want to make an impact as much as I can on the pitch."
The player has made no secret of his desire to work with Lampard.
Also read: New boy Christian Pulisic reflects on making his debut and playing under Frank Lampard
Since joining the pre-season camp, Pulisic has already lavished praise on his gaffer. Once again, he stated:
"I think the most important thing is about intensity now in modern football. Frank loves this club and has the identity of this club. All the staff are working with love and passion and they want to give us the best things to perform well inside the pitch."
What's next?
Pulisic and Chelsea would like to keep the intensity flowing within the dressing room and training ground as they prepare for a litmus test against Barcelona on July 23.
