145 appearances, 26 goals, 19 assists—these were the numbers that Christian Pulisic produced at Chelsea between 2019 and 2023. Throw in a UEFA Champions League, Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup as well. But the sad irony is that his stint in England was deemed a flop. Now, even though he is currently trying to find a new way of life at AC Milan, the rumor mill is linking him back to the Premier League—a ‘mess‘ which he has been backed to evade.

Liverpool, Manchester United, and West Ham United are some of the interested parties as they are tempted by the 26-year-old’s performance, having notched 7 goals and 5 assists in over 15 games across all competitions for the Rossoneri this season. It’s not just Pulisic who might be tempted to return to the best league in the world; his nation’s icons, Tim Howard and Landon Donovan, are also excited about the possibility. However, they still advise the USMNT skipper to step back for Milan.

“I thought he did some really good things at Chelsea,” began Howard in the latest podcast episode of Unfiltered Soccer, which he co-hosts alongside Donovan. “They were a little bit of a mess, to be honest, at the time when he was there. Got the short end of the stick. He left. He’s gotten one of the most world-renowned clubs in the world, AC Milan.”

Questioning whether he had something to prove, Howard reminded Pulisic that he would be leading his nation as a captain in the upcoming World Cup. Though the iconic goalie wouldn’t mind seeing Pulisic at big clubs like United or Liverpool, he still warns the forward to make any domestic move carefully. “Under Ruben Amorim or Arne Slot, particularly at United or Liverpool, if they’re saying, look, we’ve got big plans for you here, I think he goes, yeah.”

Simultaneously, Donovan also agreed with Howard before he started dishing out his own opinion saying, “The highest level possible is great, but you have to be playing.” Then again, the former striker has unique advice for Pulisic which is completely south of what he is currently being linked with!

Landon Donovan explains how the MLS move can benefit Christian Pulisic both domestically and internationally

Out of the blue, Landon Donovan suggested that instead of moving back to the Premier League, he would love to see Pulisic representing one of the clubs of his own country. “I said before, Christian playing in MLS would be phenomenal leading into the World Cup. Obviously, he’s surpassing those levels and playing at Milan, and I think it’d be amazing at some point to see him in MLS,” added the iconic forward.

Then again, Donovan was the one to give himself the harsh reality stating it was not the time to move to the MLS, and believes how desperate the striker would be to continue pursuing greatness in Europe but does want him to stay at AC Milan. “But I understand why he was excited to go there. It’s clear that they had a plan for him. I’m of the opinion that he’s in a great place right now and he should stay there.”

Where do you think Christian Pulisic should play? Let us know in the comments.