Dybala to Stay at Juve: What That Means for the Argentine and Manchester United

The past few days have been nothing short of chaotic for Manchester United. Harry Maguire brought in for a world-record fee for a defender, Pogba rumored to be pushing for an exit, Dybala turning down Old Trafford for an uncertain future in Turin, and Lukaku with one foot out the door. United are all over the place but they dodged a bullet. A bullet that I didn't see until it was too late.

Remember when Angel Di Maria came to United? And how much of a shit-show it was? The move seemed forced and Di Maria despite being a world-class player, struggled to make an impact in the Premier League. When The Dybala to United rumors started to circulate, it kind of seemed like the Di Maria move years prior.

According to multiple reports, Dybala wasn't entirely sold on Manchester United. It seemed like the move was being laid out in front of him by Juventus and as an avid fan of the Premier League, I welcomed this move. If one thing is for sure, the thought of Dybala in the Prem excited me. Plus, his reunification with former Juve teammate Paul Pogba would be extremely exciting in its own right.

So why do I think United dodged a bullet? Simple. Because Dybala didn't want to come. Surely majority of what is reported online is merely speculation but at the end of the day, it seemed like Dybala preferred to stay in Turin and compete for his spot in the team. By demanding a weekly wage of approximately $425,000 and a buyout clause of roughly $121 million, Dybala practically forced United to pull the plug on any potential move.

Two or three years ago I bet United would've gone ahead and brought in Dybala regardless of the high cost. Like Di Maria before him, Dybala would most likely be on his way out the door much sooner than anticipated as he would fail to make an impact in Manchester. This is purely speculation. Perhaps Dybala would've been motivated by Juventus virtually showing him the door after years of invaluable service at the club. I do think he's motivated, but just in a different way and honestly, I'm really impressed.

This summer has been an absolute roller coaster for Paulo Dybala. The 25-year-old Argentine was rumored to be a keystone piece in Maurizio Sarri's plans. Dybala would be used a false #9 but those rumors quickly dissipated and were replaced with rumors that he was to play no part in Sarri's squad the upcoming season.

I honestly don't know what to believe. I simply think Dybala is too good to be left out of Juve's plans entirely. Yes, he's coming off a season in which he only scored 5 goals along with 4 assists but surely a player of his caliber is due for a bounce-back right?

So do I think Dybala will merely be a bench player at Juve? Not a chance. Last season, Juventus manager, Massimilano Allegri failed to bring both Dybala and Ronaldo to their full potential. Now, Sarri will have the opportunity to do so but can he do it?

Last year, I grew frustrated with Sarri as a Chelsea fan. He was reluctant to turn to youngsters, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek when Chelsea's older players were failing to perform consistently. When he finally did turn to them, Chelsea was well out of the title race.

Sarri has shown that he can be stubborn, but he also brought Chelsea back into the top 4, and he led Chelsea to a Europa League title. His accomplishments at Chelsea in only one year were solid and perhaps the lessons he learned at Stamford Bridge will help him at Juventus.

So what does this mean for Dybala? Perhaps Sarri's stubbornness will get the best of him and Dybala will merely feature off the bench. Or, Dybala could come roaring back. I would much rather prefer the latter. Dybala is one of the most exciting players in the world and I'm desperate to see him and Ronaldo thrive together.

For United, Dybala would've been a significant upgrade in the midfield. He would most likely play in the #10 role with Pogba and McTominay sitting behind him. But since Dybala decided to remain in Turin, he will have to grind if he wishes to be a regular in the starting XI.

So what is Dybala up against? It's no secret that Juventus has an incredibly talented midfield.

Blaise Matuidi
Sami Khedira
Emre Can
Miralem Pjanic
Rodrigo Bentancur
Adrien Rabiot
Aaron Ramsey

These players make up the Old Lady's midfield this season. Rabiot and Ramsey were both brought in on frees and even with Khedira rumored to be close to an exit, Juventus has a sensational midfield. So where does Dybala fit into it? Or does he at all?

For starters, Matuidi, Khedira, Can, and Pjanic are defensive-minded players meaning they won't necessarily compete with Dybala for playing time. Rabiot and Bentancur are box-to-box players as well as Ramsey but Ramsey has featured in the #10 role for Arsenal in the past.

So despite having a midfield brimming with talent, Dybala doesn't necessarily have a tremendous amount of competition in the #10 role. This doesn't mean he won't have to fight for his starting spot though. Ramsey, Bentancur, and Federico Bernardeschi are capable of playing under the striker.

Can this season be one to forget for Dybala? Yes, there's a possibility that Dybala could be sidelined by Sarri. He could ride the bench but is that in Juve's best interest? Juve doesn't kick off their season until August 24th leaving plenty of time for Dybala to get a good chunk of training under his belt. In training, he needs to prove that he isn't the same player that only scored 5 goals. He needs to prove that he is the player that was previously Juve's leading scorer. The player that was drawing comparisons to Messi. One bad season isn't enough to sway my opinion of the young Argentine. I still think he's tremendous and it speaks volumes about his character that he was willing to stay at Juve and battle it out with his counterparts for minutes.

This season will be a huge one for Dybala and it all hinges on how he does in training as well as Sarri's plans for him. I'm pulling for him and I think he has the potential to be a huge part of Juve this season.

As for United, they dodged a bullet. Yes, the move was an exciting one as the headlines generated themselves, but Dybala wasn't entirely sold on the move. Would Dybala be an upgrade at Old Trafford? Absolutely but United will only improve if they're fielding players that are completely bought in.

Now, the world will wait and see what the future holds for both Dybala and Manchester United. If one thing is for sure, both of those futures are completely up in the air.