'Wrong on that one!' - USMNT legend Landon Donovan makes Christian Pulisic MLS admission following AC Milan transfer

The United States international forward was on the move during the summer of 2023. With a four-year spell at Premier League giants Chelsea – which saw him become a Champions League winner - brought to a close as a new challenge was sought.

Donovan claimed at the time that Pulisic should consider heading home, but he opted to head for San Siro and has made an impressive contribution to the collective cause in Milan – winning the Serie A Player of the Month award for December. Donovan has now told the State of the Union podcast: “Yeah I was probably wrong on that one! First of all, we still have a long way to the World Cup right? A lot of things can change but Christian has from day one cemented himself [at Milan] and shown that he deserves to be a starter and a key player. He’s shown it game after game.”

While pleased to see Pulisic proving his worth in Europe, Donovan is eager to point out that another move must be considered if fortunes change – with there a World Cup on home soil to think about in 2026. He added: “He knows when you’re playing in Europe, you go three or four games in a row without playing well and you might be on the bench for a while. But he is so much more mature from his time I think at Chelsea especially, and just being thrown into the fire there. And now he’s mature. He knows what this is all about. He can play the game a little bit. He knows how to manage himself, but then also be consistent. And I think that’s what he’s shown. If he stays on this path, of course it’s a no brainer: He should have been in Milan. Hopefully things don’t go wrong, but if things go wrong, he’s got to make sure — and it goes with everybody playing in the World Cup — that you are playing leading up to the World Cup.”

Pulisic is tied to a contract in Italy through to 2027 and will hope to still be on Milan’s books by that point, with Yunus Musah another USMNT star that is looking to enjoy longevity with the Rossoneri after making a bright start to a spell at San Siro.