Pochettino gives Pulisic update for Milan and USA

Originally posted on Football Italia | By Peter Young | Last updated Oct 14, 2025 9:21 AM ET

USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino has hushed concerns surrounding the fitness of Milan star Christian Pulisic, insisting that he is doing ‘much better than when he arrived’ for international duty last week.

Pulisic, the current leading goalscorer in Serie A, played for just 20 minutes of the USA’s 1-1 friendly draw against Ecuador on Saturday after reporting an issue with his ankle before the match.

The 27-year-old had been dealing with swelling to his ankle, which meant that he was only able to start from the bench over the weekend, but he could potentially make a return to the USA starting line-up against Australia this evening.

What Pochettino said about Pulisic

Pochettino confirmed that Pulisic’s condition is ‘much better than when he arrived’.

“I think the reaction after the 20 minutes playing [against Ecuador], I think was good,” Pochettino said before the USA-Australia clash.

“His ankle I think reacted very well and just hope that tomorrow he can be available. We need to wait today for the reaction too, but I think it’s much better than when he arrived.”

This comes as a boost for Milan ahead of their Serie A test against Fiorentina after the international break. As well as Pulisic, Rafael Leao is also pushing to be available to Massimiliano Allegri according to the latest updates.

This article first appeared on Football Italia and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: