Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho: "Christian Pulisic an inspiration for me"
Jadon Sancho has hailed Borussia Dortmund team-mate Christian Pulisic as "an inspiration" but also has his sights on challenging the USA international starlet for a regular starting role.
Sancho joined Dortmund from Manchester City last summer in the hope of finding an opportunity to play at the highest level he felt would not have had in England.
After two substitute appearances as he settled in during the Hinrunde, the 17-year-old saw his ambition realised as he started the first three games of the Rückrunde before an ankle injury in the Matchday 21 win over Cologne sidelined him.
Watch: Sancho won the Bundesliga's TagHeuer Rookie of the Month award for January
The setback has, however, given him an opportunity to watch Pulisic, 19, at work, and Sancho cannot speak highly enough of his fellow teenager.
"When he plays, everything seems so simple and normal. I want to be like that too," the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup winner explained to The Times.
“He's only two years older than me, but what he has already achieved with the USA, despite the huge pressure on him, is an inspiration for me."
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Sancho's admiration for Pulisic does not blind him to the fact the pair are in competition with Marco Reus, Maximilian Philipp, Shinji Kagawa and each other for a place in the Dortmund line-up behind central striker Michy Batshuayi.
"I'm ready to take on Pulisic and the others," Sancho stated boldly, knowing that Dortmund will stick by the philosophy that convinced him the Signal Iduna Park was the place to further his career.
"I looked at who plays there and had played there. Lots of young players come to Dortmund and become top players.
"I thought to myself, 'Wow! I could do it too'. I want to part of that story. They have shown that age is not a factor. They let you play if you're good enough."
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