Dortmund's Tuchel tutors Pulisic to focus on football, not hype

Unless you live under a rock or avoid following American football writers on Twitter, it's impossible to ignore the fact that Borussia Dortmund winger Christian Pulisic has been anointed the saviour of U.S. football.

Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel is well aware of the praise, insisting that the prodigious 18-year-old focuses on football and not the plaudits in the press.

"My advice for him is that he should read as little as possible, and maybe switch off the 'Google Alerts' for his name," Tuchel told reporters, courtesy of ESPN FC. "But I would also advise him to do so if things were not running that well."

To Pulisic's credit, unlike previous U.S. football deity Freddy Adu, the resourceful winger does appear the part, pairing 20 Bundesliga appearances with eight in Europe for the goal-happy Champions League quarter-finalist.

With five goals and seven helpers in all comps, Pulisic has seamlessly acclimated to first-team football after making his league debut with Dortmund in February 2015. Those mature performances have prompted the club to reward its budding American talent, with Pulisic putting pen to paper on a new deal through 2020.

Consider Tuchel a fan.

"We are very satisfied with Christian's progress," Tuchel added. "He's a full member of our team, despite still being eligible to play for the Under-19s. He's very confident, stress resistant, and can bring his physical strength to the pitch. You can't predict that."

After notching his first continental goal during last Tuesday's second-leg victory over Benfica, one thing that can be predicted for Pulisic is a bright future.

"Christian is on a great path. He's been an important factor for us in the past few weeks, first as an impact substitute and after the injuries he has become an important starter for us - already in Champions League and the cup. He took the chances he was offered."