Chelsea and United States men’s national team midfielder Christian Pulisic will miss his side’s Premier League clash against Arsenal on Sunday after testing positive for COVID-19.
Manager Thomas Tuchel confirmed on Friday that the 22-year-old has not trained with the side since Wednesday following his positive test and will isolate for at least 10 days under government guidelines.
“Christian is unfortunately pretty easy to explain,” Tuchel told reporters when asked why he wouldn’t be available for Sunday.
“He had a positive test and needs to follow the protocols. He’s not in training and not available for the game [against Arsenal].”
Pulisic posted on his Instagram story: “Unfortunately I tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week. Thankfully I’m fully vaccinated and I have no symptoms so far.”
The positive test comes ahead of USMNT’s World Cup qualifying matches. The squad are set to meet in Nashville in nine to 10 days, with the first qualifier against El Salvador in 13 days. Sources suggest the early indications are Pulisic is aiming to be back for Chelsea’s match with Liverpool next week, before he’s due to join up with the national team.
Pulisic’s absence is a blow for both Chelsea and the 22-year-old, who scored in Chelsea’s opening weekend win over Crystal Palace.