SHORT HILLS, N.J. -- Christian Pulisic cannot save soccer in the United States by himself, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has told ESPN FC, as Egypt has done with its standout player Mohamed Salah.
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Pulisic, 19, is regarded as the central figure in the U.S. team's rebuilding program following the failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
But although former Dortmund coach Klopp admits Pulisic is a huge talent, he has warned that it will be counterproductive to place too much expectation on him being able to drag the U.S. out of the doldrums on his own.
"I think [Pulisic] has all you need for becoming a big player," Klopp told ESPN FC in an exclusive interview. "That's how it is and he has already a lot of ups and few downs as well, so that's good for development and for the level he is now.
"But you don't do him a favor if we talk too much about him. This country is too big and there are too many players here [for him to do it alone].
"If you do these things, like Egypt is doing with Mo Salah and Pulisic is for them [the U.S.] -- come on, let the boys play football."
Pennsylvania-born Pulisic joined Borussia Dortmund in February 2015 -- just three months before Klopp ended his seven-year stay as manager at the Bundesliga side -- and burst onto the scene in early 2017, breaking a number of Bundesliga records and establishing himself on the U.S. national team.
"He's still a very young boy," Klopp said. "Let them play football, let them develop and don't make the big stories of it until you can say he's good, because he's very good, that's true.
"But don't make him responsible for U.S. football because nobody can do that job."
Klopp, who recently played down speculation linking Liverpool with a move for Pulisic, believes the U.S. will struggle to improve if the Pennsylvania-born player remains the only top quality performer in the national team.
"It's only football and if there come more players like this, then the [U.S.] will say there's a chance," Klopp said.
"But if Christian Pulisic stays the only one with that quality then there's no chance. So it's easy as that and we don't have to talk too much."