Pochettino defends Pulisic omission: ‘I’m not a mannequin’

AFP | Washington

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United States coach Mauricio Pochettino defended his decision to omit Christian Pulisic from recent friendlies against Turkey and Switzerland on Saturday, saying he alone was responsible for choosing his squad.

AC Milan star Pulisic has been at the center of a simmering controversy over his request to be excused from US duty in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, whic h kicked off on Saturday.

Former US international players including Landon Donovan have criticised Pulisic’s decision, questioning his commitment to representing the United States.

Pulisic hit back at his critics on Thursday, revealing that while he had asked to skip the Gold Cup he had been willing to play in the warm-up games -- only to be denied by Pochettino. The winger said that he had accepted Pochettino’s decision but did not “understand” it.

Asked abou this decision to leave out Pulisic on Saturday, Pochettino said i t wa s not for players to pick and choose which games they wanted to play in.