Jadon Sancho Says Christian Pulisic Inspired Him to Leave Man City for Dortmund

England prospect Jadon Sancho says Chelsea-bound midfielder Christian Pulisic inspired him to leave the home comforts of Manchester City for Borussia Dortmund.

Pulisic left his Pennsylvania home in the United States to join Dortmund in 2015 and was promoted to their first team at only 17. Sancho was the same age when he joined the Black and Yellows from City for £8 million in August 2017, and he told ESPN FC's Raphael Honigstein of the influence Pulisic had on his decision:

"The club had shown with a player like Christian Pulisic that they were going in the right way, playing youngsters and giving them a chance. He came from the same situation as me, leaving his family behind.

"He was so young, and he was brave enough. America is a lot further away than England and he's taken a bigger step than I have done. How he's handled that, what he does on the pitch, his mentality [towards] football, it's just crazy. The passion he has. I admire him."

Chelsea confirmed in January that they had agreed a deal to sign Pulisic and loan him back to Dortmund until the summer. BVB announced the transfer was worth €64 million (£56 million), representing the highest fee ever commanded by a player from the United States and coming only four years after he arrived in Europe.

Sancho has responded similarly well to his newfound first-team promotion and has scored seven goals to go along with his 12 assists in all competitions this season.

Statman Dave hailed that as an elite figure for any player, never mind one who doesn't turn 19 until March:

Pulisic's departure for west London actually aids Sancho in terms of competition down Dortmund's right side, but the former City starlet—who spent eight years in Watford's academy—continued to gush over the Chelsea signing:

"He's an outstanding player, I really do look up to him. Him going away from home shows that you have to do things to get out of your comfort zone, sometimes.

"I feel it's worked for him and it's working for me now, because we're both staying focussed and keep training hard."

The challenge for Pulisic now before he arrives in England is maintaining the same standards despite a raised awareness of his talent and the expectations that follow. 

He recently put Dortmund ahead with a fine finish in extra time during their 3-3 draw against Werder Bremen in the DFB-Pokal round of 16 (Dortmund lost 7-5 on penalties), via ESPN FC:

If his blueprint is one Sancho could hope to follow, it could light the way for a fairytale return to the Premier League complete with major transfer fee—providing he wants to come back.

Dortmund's approach to developing their youth stars in the senior side continues to pay dividends, meanwhile, as Pulisic is moved on for huge profit only for another star prospect to take his place.