Thomas Tuchel issues rallying cry to out-of-favour Christian Pulisic over lack of Chelsea starts

Thomas Tuchel has laid down the gauntlet to Christian Pulisic, telling the out-of-favour forward that he has ‘earn’ a spot in his Chelsea team.

Pulisic is yet to start a Premier League match since Tuchel’s managerial appointment on January 26 – with the American having come off the bench on six occasions since.

Speculation over the 21-year-old’s future has grown and as exclusively revealed by Sportsmail this week; Manchester United, Liverpool and Bayern Munich are all monitoring his situation closely.

Tuchel gave Pulisic his break at Borussia Dortmund and says the forward has to force his way into his thinking to do likewise at Stamford Bridge.

‘When you sign and play for Chelsea, it’s part of the job description to be patient and impatient at the same time. All of my players are competitors and they want to play every minute,’ he said at his Friday press conference ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash at Leeds United.

‘At the same time, when you’re not selected, you have to stay patient and not lose confidence.

‘When it was possible for him to start around Sheffield United and Barnsley, one game came too soon and Barnsley wasn’t easy.

‘If you turn it around, it’s the duty of the players to show up and really earn to play. This is what Christian does.

‘I feel him in the last days very positive and doing the very best in his situation.’