AC Milan 'concerned' about Christian Pulisic as international boss Mauricio Pochettino admits his own 'worry' about USMNT superstar

The United States men's national team star is currently on international duty and he is set to return to Italy just two days before AC Milan's upcoming Serie A clash against Udinese. Per La Gazzetta dello Sport, manager Fonseca is worried that he might not get Pulisic at his very best in their next Serie A fixture as the player will have very little time to prepare for the game after a long journey from Mexico to Milan. The former Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund winger is off to a flying start in the 2024-25 campaign having scored five times and providing two assists in seven league appearances.

While the Rossoneri boss remains concerned about the star player's fitness, new USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino heaped praise on the attacker as he spoke highly of the player's current run of form. However, the former Tottenham coach remained cautious ahead of the national team's upcoming games as he stressed the importance of protecting a player of Pulisic's stature.

Speaking to reporters ahead of his first game in charge of the USA, Pochettino said, "I think he's a fantastic player, one of the best offensive players in the world. I think that we are a little bit worried that sometimes we need to protect [Pulisic].

"We see because he arrived a little bit tired, but that is a thing that I told him before is to build a very good relationship with the club and try to help. And when we really need him, he needs to be in form, happy, strong and the quality is there because he has an enormous talent."

The Americans will play their first match of the ongoing international break on Sunday as they take on Panama in a friendly clash before facing Mexico away from home on Wednesday.