Chelsea forward Christian Pulisic, who had suffered an adductor injury that took him out of the field months before the English Premier League was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has recovered and returned to complete fitness during the lockdown period.

“I didn’t take it as seriously as I think I should have. It was one of those you felt you could do a lot of things but you try to push it that one extra step and realise it’s not ready yet,” Pulisic said as quoted on the official website of Chelsea.

“It was very tough and frustrating going through times like that. I underestimated it and tried to get back as soon as I could because I just wanted to play so bad.

“If anything, I’ve given myself a little more time to rest now and make sure that I’m 100 per cent fit. I’d say I’m fully recovered and ready to go as soon as we get back,” the 21-year-old added.

The USA international, who became the most expensive American footballer after moving from Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea in 2019 for 64 million euros (USD 69.13 million), has not featured for the Blues since their New Year’s Day tie against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Pulisic also spoke about the day he got his first start for the west-London club in an away match against Burnley. It holds special importance for the former Bundesliga player as he had netted his first Premier League hat-trick on that day in October last year.

“It was my first start in a little while so I just had this motivation to go out and prove a lot of people wrong,” Pulisic recalls. “I felt I’d done okay up to that point but I hadn’t really shown everything that I could do so going into that game, I did have a chip on my shoulder.

“Once that first goal came, my confidence shot through the roof and it was just my day after that, everything kept falling for me. It was incredible. I’ll never forget coming home after that and just sitting down and looking back on what had just happened.

“I was so proud being able to talk to my family back home and people that had been watching. It wasn’t just the hat-trick but scoring, helping the team win and having a great game – there’s no better,” he added.