London: Frank Lampard believes Christian Pulisic has the hunger and ability to become a regular goalscorer for Chelsea following his strike against Aston Villa.
Pulisic netted five minutes after being brought off the bench in Sunday’s 2-1 comeback win at Villa Park as the visitors recovered from a goal down.
The United States international converted Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross at the back post to cancel out Kortney Hause’s opener, before Olivier Giroud added a quickfire second.
And Lampard expects even more from a fit-again Pulisic, who was making his first appearance since New Year’s Day after struggling with a groin issue.
“He was hungry. I know that and I felt for him as I felt for all the players with long-term injuries,” he said at his post-match news conference.
“Ruben [Loftus-Cheek] was in the same position, but I know Christian was very hungry. He has trained well. The ability that he has got to arrive in the box is a big thing that I have spoken to him about all season.
“It is the difference between being a very good player off-the-side as an attacking player or the players at the real top level of the game that arrive and score in the six-yard box and hit big numbers yearly.
“I really think Christian can do that so I was pleased with the impact he made when he came on. He will start games for us, of course. I think he is going to be a big player for us, not just in this run-in, but going forward.”
Ross Barkley, another who has struggled with injuries, also made a big impression during his 35 minutes on the field and Lampard is pleased with the depth of his squad.
“The players who make the differences should always take all the credit. With Christian and Ross, they came on at the same time and have trained well,” he said.
“They both had cases to start but I have some good selection problems. Then you have to consider the type of game and that fitness will play a part.
“Bringing on Christian and Barkley early in the second half was always in my mind depending on how the game went.
