Tim Howard's comparison is the kind that gets you laughed out of the room — until it doesn't. The former US goalkeeper dropped Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah's names when asked about Christian Pulisic's ceiling, pointing out that both were written off at Chelsea before becoming Premier League legends. His argument: Pulisic followed the same path, went abroad to prove himself, and is now ready to come back at a different level entirely.
It's a bold take. It's also hard to dismiss when you look at what Pulisic has actually done at AC Milan.
88 goal involvements in 131 games
That's not a player who survived in Serie A. That's a player who thrived in it. Chelsea let him go in the summer of 2023 after never really giving him a consistent run, and he's spent the last three seasons making that look like a catastrophic misjudgment. Now United want to bring him to Old Trafford, and according to TEAMtalk, INEOS are actively accelerating those plans.
The contract situation is what makes this genuinely interesting from a value standpoint. Pulisic has 12 months left on his deal, Milan hold an option, but there are no active extension talks after initial negotiations stalled. That's leverage United can exploit. A player of his output — versatile enough to play as a No.10, on either wing, or as a false nine — should command a significant fee. But clubs won't be paying peak-contract prices if he's heading into the final year of his deal.
United's preference for Pulisic over Milan teammate Rafael Leao reportedly comes down to exactly those two factors: contract situation and positional flexibility. Leao is arguably the more eye-catching name, but he's also more expensive, more one-dimensional in terms of deployment, and more likely to cost United in a bidding war. Pulisic is the pragmatic choice that still upgrades the squad significantly.
What this means for United's attack
United's rebuild under INEOS has been sharper than most expected. Sesko, Mbeumo, Cunha, Lammens — each addition looks considered rather than reactive. Pulisic would fit the same profile: a proven performer at elite level, entering his prime years, with something to prove back in the Premier League. Adding him ahead of a Champions League return would give Ruben Amorim real options across the front line.
Howard's closing line is worth sitting with: "He gets slotted into a Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool — I think there's actually another level for him." Whether that level exists is what the next chapter will answer. But with 88 involvements in 131 games and a contract winding down, United won't be the only club asking the question.
