Borussia Dortmund Rising Star Jadon Sancho Labels Christian Pulisic an 'Inspiration'
Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho has hailed teammate Christian Pulisic as 'an inspiration'; but admitted that he has his sights on making the American teenager's starting spot his own.
The former Manchester City and Watford youth product joined BVB last summer in the hope of replicating the successes of young players before him and being afforded opportunities that looked unlikely in England.
Following a slow first half of the season in Germany, in which the 17-year-old appeared from the substitutes' bench only twice, the promising midfielder's aspirations were realized after the winter break with three first-team starts before sustaining an injury in Dortmund's 3-2 win over Cologne in February.
However, Sancho's spell on the sidelines has afforded him the chance to watch Pulisic on a regular basis, and while speaking to the Times, he revealed his admiration for the 19-year-old.
"When he plays, everything seems so simple and normal. I want to be like that too", he said. “He's only two years older than me, but what he has already achieved with the USA, despite the huge pressure on him, is an inspiration for me."
But the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup winner is not blinded by the Signal Iduna Park academy graduate and knows that fellow competition from Marco Reus, Maximilian Philipp and Shinji Kagawa also lies between him and a regular spot in Peter Stoger's starting XI.
"I'm ready to take on Pulisic and the others", Sancho stated boldly in the knowledge of past players who have gone on to become household names after finding themselves in a similar position.
"I looked at who plays there and had played there. Lots of young players come to Dortmund and become top players. I thought to myself, 'Wow! I could do it too'. I want to part of that story. They have shown that age is not a factor. They let you play if you're good enough."
