Christian Pulisic has been fighting at Chelsea Football Club since the day he arrived. He has fought for his place among a bevy of attackers signed to replace him. He has fought against injuries, COVID and depression. He has fought to earn the trust of a manager who inherited him, and then a manager he'd previously escaped, and throughout this summer — with transfer rumors swirling — he vowed to continue fighting.
But in any prolonged battle, in sport or in life, there comes a time when a valiant fight becomes a vain one.