He needs another year of development and expanded playing time to be ready for the jump.

He already played the third most Bundesliga minutes on the team last season. The only two above him were Sokratis (center back) and Bürki (goalkeeper). There's just not much room for his playing time to increase.

Now, Yarmolenko is gone, and Schürrle seems to be on the way out, so that opens up some time. But it's unlikely that Reus and Philipp each will miss more than half of the season like they did last year. And the emergence of Jadon Sancho likely will push Pulisic's minutes further downward.

I don't even think it's a bad thing if his minutes go down a bit this year. He clearly was worn out by the end of last season. He's still a young player, his fitness is great for his age, and he'll continue to build endurance over the next few years. But last year was too much for him.

Any view on his diminished production last year and their plans for Pulisic's development?

First, I think Pulisic was better last season than in 2016-17. However, I think many expected him to make a huge leap, and his progress is 2017-18 was more modest. For most of Bosz's tenure, despite being played in a more defensive role, Pulisic was Dortmund's most aggressive and effective attacking player. He didn't have goals and assists to show for it, but he was very influential, especially in the early part of the seasom. Stöger played him in a more advanced role, and the stats started to more closely reflect Pulisic's impact. I think his assist stats were bolstered by having a more effective finisher than Aubameyang on the end of his crosses.

Of course, because of his growing influence and the absence of Reus, Pulisic drew a lot more attention from opposing defenses. I think the pressure took a toll on him, physically and mentally. The return of Reus and Maxi Philipp and the emergence of Jadon Sancho helped lighten his load. If those guys stay healthy and Dortmund pick up a solid striker, I think we'll see Pulisic's production tick up this season.

That just ruined the season completely. He had the wrong mentality for that club.

So, it wasn't just Pulisic that had a underwhelming season, the whole squad did. They BARELY qualified for Champs as it was a close close race for the last 2 top4 spots and the Europa spots.

The game that I remember most clearly was their 4-4 tie vs archrival Schalke when they squandered a 4 goal lead. That was Dortmund in a nutshell; amazing enough to score 4 goals in 1 half, poor enough to squander that away to their archrival. Coincidentally Pulisic seemed to be the only one who didn't score that day.

I really hope BVB can switch it around for 2018-2019. Just not enough to beat Werder Bremen. I liked getting a win and a tie last season quite a lot. But seriously, best of luck, they are my favorite team that actually has a chance in the Bundesliga.

Would be much better for his development than fighting for time at Liverpool or United.