Christian Pulisic has opened up on having to prove himself at Chelsea, admitting that "not everyone is going to be your best friend".
Chelsea invested £57 million ($72m) in Pulisic's talents after reaching an agreement to sign him from Borussia Dortmund in January 2019.
The 21-year-old joined up with his new team-mates at Stamford Bridge last summer, and was the only new addition to Frank Lampard's squad while the club served a FIFA-imposed transfer ban.
Lampard opted to slowly integrate the United States international rather than throw him in at the deep end - an approach which has really begun to bear fruit since the resumption of the 2019-20 campaign last month.
Pulisic has recorded an impressive nine goals and nine assists in his first 31 appearances for Chelsea, and is now a regular in Lampard's starting XI.
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The ex-Dortmund star's recent performances have helped the Blues climb to third in the Premier League table, with his next opportunity to shine likely to come when they take in a huge FA Cup semi-final clash against Manchester United on Sunday.
Pulisic has now conceded that he felt nervous upon his arrival in west London, and quickly learned that he would have to earn the respect of his new colleagues by letting his skills do the talking on the pitch.
The Chelsea attacker told SiriusXM Radio Counter Attack of his testing start to life at the Bridge: "It was my first big move, I really didn’t know what to expect to be honest. I went in with an open mind, there are nerves about playing.
"It is kind of just proving you can play, it is a big thing, it seems crazy but the guys are great guys; my team-mates have been great to me. In the first couple of days, it is normal for a new guy that it is tough, not everyone is going to be your best friend straight away. That’s okay.
"I really felt once I was able to show myself on the field, that I could play, that’s when guys really started to say this guy is good. He can hang with us. We are going to treat him with a little more respect. It is true and it is true of a lot of professional environments. I am sure you have seen it, that’s how it goes.
"Confidence is a huge thing for me. Having confidence from your coach, team-mates and from everyone around you, it does help and I think that’s why I have seen a little bit of success here recently."
Asked why he took the decision to join the Blues last year, Pulisic responded: "Chelsea is a massive club. I watched Chelsea growing up and I wanted to play in the Premier League. It was something about the mentality, the winning history and the club.
"No American has really done it at Chelsea, not that it was the key reason, but it was a gut feeling. I had the opportunity to come and to play for Chelsea is just a huge honour for anyone.
"I just couldn’t pass up on it. I thought it was an amazing club and I still feel it is an amazing club, it was just that feeling in the moment."