'Scoring goals constantly' - Mike Grella praises Christian Pulisic after USMNT star nets double for Milan against Udinese

Grella said that Milan's Rafael Leao might have questioned Pulisic’s ability when he first arrived at the club.

"Imagine you're Leao - 100 percent this went through his head," Grella said on CBS Sports. "And I don't want to put words in his mouth but 100 percent. I know this for a fact because I was an American playing in Europe. Pulisic comes and he (Leao) goes ‘I'm the guy here, I'm the man, I’m the most talented player,' right?

“There was rumors of how much he was worth year one after he got the MVP, he was saying he's worth $100 million, right? No doubt in his head, he goes. ‘Who's this American kid coming here? Thinking that he can play at AC Milan with me.' Right? One hundred percent, there was that thought in his mind. And now with Pulisic, year three, constantly being this steady?"

Grella said Pulisic is now setting standards for U.S. internationals.

“Scoring goals constantly, look at him," he said. "Just gets his job done, hard worker. That sends a shockwave through the entire team, especially to guys like Leao. 'Look hey pal, you have to play, you have to perform, you have to work.' Like, this is a standard now at Milan.

"And the fact that Pulisic is setting that standard for AC Milan tells you where American football is going. Hopefully in the right direction, with obviously things going on with the national team, not so great. But him leading the flag for American football... is an awesome storyline. Credit to Pulisic."

Grella praised Pulisic after his brace helped the Rossoneri to a 3-0 win over Udinese.

“He can do it all,” Grella gushed. “Both feet, he can score with his head if it’s not a contested header. He can beat guys on the dribble. He’s just a guy you want in the changing room. With so much change in the team, managers, players… he’s been the guy that’s been, ‘No I’m here and this is my job, and this is what I do.' He’s been the one steady at a club that’s been trying to figure things out over the last couple of seasons.”

Analyst Marco Messina also praised Massimiliano Allegri’s influence on the team. The Italian was appointed as the Rossoneri’s new coach before the season.

“What stands out to me most is how professional they they were,” Messina said on CBS Sports Golazo. “Even at 3-0, they were going to get the fourth goal, they didn’t want to concede, you could see the anger in them. That’s a touch of Max Allegri and we’ve said before, he was exactly what they needed.

“Milan’s management have gotten things wrong in the past, and we’ve sat here and we’ve said ‘They got this wrong, they got this wrong.' In this summer, we all sat here and said, 'They got the best possible coach for this exact situation.' Yes, it’s only a few games into the season, but you can see the writing on the wall, that this Milan is headed in the right direction.”

With three goals in four league appearances in the Serie A, Pulisic will hope to continue his run of form.