Christian Pulisic hands Chelsea injury boost as American returns to training after seven weeks out

Chelsea have been handed an injury boost as winger Christian Pulisic has returned to training ahead of their weekend clash at Newcastle. 

The American winger has been out for around seven weeks with an ankle injury and has not featured for the Blues since the opening day of the season on August 14.   

News of the 23-year-old’s return to action is a welcome addition to Thomas Tuchel’s league leaders as strikers Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner are still injured after picking up blows in last week’s Champions League victory over Malmo. 

That has left Tuchel relying on Kai Havertz, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Mason Mount as Chelsea’s front three, with Hakim Ziyech the only striker or winger available as a back-up option over the past week. 

However, Chelsea have remained top of the Premier League table despite Lukaku and Werner’s respective absences and can now call on Pulisic as they prepare to face a Newcastle side still looking for their first league victory of the season. 

American winger Pulisic has struggled for fitness over the past 18 months, with the 23-year-old time at Stamford Bridge plagued with fitness setbacks. 

Pulisic has picked up 11 injuries since arriving as a £60million signing from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2019 – and has missed 41 Blues matches over the past two years. 

The American has spent nearly 350 days on the treatment table since his move to the Blues, with head coach Tuchel admitting last week that the player is suffering mentally and physically from the multiple setbacks.

‘Once these players with quick movements like Christian, once they feel this pain and they are not free in the movement the recovery is not happening,’ Tuchel said before Chelsea’s Champions League game with Malmo last week.

‘You start all over again and you reach a certain point and the pain comes back. And you have to do a little pause and start all over again. 

‘He is very impatient, of course, and he does everything and we can see him suffer in every meeting. And every time we meet him here (at training) he is really suffering and wants to be on the pitch and help us.’