How will Paulo Dybala fit in at Manchester United?

Bengaluru, August 5: We are just a few days away from the transfer deadline day in England as the FA decided to bring back the transfer deadline ahead of the start of the campaign from last season. However, the European transfer window remains open and even clubs in England can still sell players outside England.

With such little amount of time left for the window to close, the biggest question is whether Manchester United can seal a swap deal with Serie A champions Juventus that will see Romelu Lukaku heading to Turin and Paulo Dybala coming to the Theater of Dreams.

But, latest reports say the deal may be off after Dybala rejected Man United in favour of a stay in Italy. However, you can never say never when it comes to United and big deals.

Dybala, if he joins the Red Devils, would be a huge statement of intent from Manchester United. The Argentine is an elite footballer and until Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Juventus last season, he was the superstar of Juventus. Things have changed during the last season but without Champions League football, signing someone like Dybala would be really huge.

So how will Dybala get in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's lineup? Let us discuss that here.

Dybala is quite a versatile attacker. In his earlier career, he used to be a centre-forward but as he developed, he gradually became a secondary striker, someone who is not just a finisher but can create as well. During his career, Dybala has been used as a number nine, number ten and also on the right flank. Solskjær would surely love to have a player like him who can be used in multiple ways.

South Americans are usually technically gifted but technically sound players like Dybala come once in a generation. In many ways, the former Palermo man is similar to Messi and if he can be used well, he can prove to be a game-changer.

Solskjaer can use Dybala in three different positions.

1. As a false nine- Pep Guardiola created history with Barcelona when he decided to use Lionel Messi as a false nine rather than using him on the right flank and Solskjær could do the same with Dybala at Manchester United. The Argentine has all the ingredients to be a huge success as a false nine if he can cope with the physicality of English football. With pacey players like Martial and especially Rashford in the side, playing Dybala as a false nine can prove to be a revolutionary move by the manager.

2. As a number ten- Well, to be honest, this is the most likely option. Dybala could be used as an orthodox number ten at Old Trafford. Dybala is creative and can find his teammates with killer passes. With Marcos Rashford leading the line, Dybala as a number ten would be a great option. Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata barely did enough in the No 10 role to nail it down. But that has not discouraged Solskjaer from persevering with them through United’s pre-season, as part of a consistent 4-2-3-1 shape that demands invention in central, attacking areas.

3. On the right flank- Manchester United have been struggling on the flanks for quite a long time now and with Dybala moving to United, their issues could finally get solved. From the right flank, the Argentine could offer a degree of unpredictability cutting inside on his natural left. However, Dybala is not particularly very fast and might find it hard to do much damage from the right flank in the Premier League. Also, we saw him experiencing his worst season in terms of number last time out as he was shifted to the right flank that saw him scoring just five goals and registering just five assists.