Paulo Dybala's Return From the Transfer List Should Be Rewarded With a New Contract

When the team sheets were released for Juventus' meeting with Lazio, Paulo Dybala's name was missing for the second match in a row.

Ultimately, his Argentine compatriot Gonzalo Higuaín pulled out of the starting lineup with an injury during the warm up as Dybala took his place. Yet, in a game where defeat would have gone some way to reopening the title race, Maurizio Sarri had - initially - not turned to the lethal 26-year-old.

After the match, the Bianconeri coach batted away this potentially controversial decision with the claim that Dybala was suffering from 'back pain' the day before. Despite the last-minute call up (and fitness concerns), Dybala put in another dazzling display as Juve saw out a 2-1 win to put them on the brink of a ninth-consecutive Scudetto.

His place in the starting XI against Lazio may have been uncertain, but Dybala's spot in the Juventus squad seemed all but gone 12 months ago.

Dybala understated events when he admitted that 'it wasn't an easy summer' last year. Having been put up for sale - and with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur circling - Dybala explained: "Hearing your name linked to every team and every place, where you don’t want to go, isn’t a nice thing."

The Old Lady's number ten was one phone call away from arriving on English soil but he maintains that he never sought a future outside of Turin, insisting: "I wanted to stay, I wanted to play here and continue my career at Juve."

After a season in which the former Palermo man has hit double figures for goals and assists across all competitions - averaging a goal contribution every 103 minutes - Juve's inability to ship out the Argentina international may come across as a sizeable stroke of good luck.

However, hindsight is 20/20, and Dybala was coming off the back of his worst domestic campaign - mustering five goals and four assists - since his first season in Europe as an 18-year-old with relegated Palermo.

There have been no lingering disappointments this term and - unlike his teammate Aaron Ramsey - Dybala has managed to improve upon the impressive displays he turned out prior to lockdown, on the other side of the hiatus.

As Juventus rattled in 13 goals from their first four games of Serie A's restart, Dybala netted a quartet of (mostly spectacular) strikes himself. Starting each match as the central figure of a 4-3-3, Dybala would drop into midfield and drift wide - often to the right hand side to cut onto his stronger left foot.

While Dybala would flit about the pitch, proving infuriatingly difficult to mark, Cristiano Ronaldo would be sucked inside, filling the central position vacated by his South American teammate.

As Serie A was poised for its return, Sarri admitted that it's difficult for Ronaldo and Dybala to 'coexist' in his team. Against Lazio, Dybala did his best to disprove this assessment as 'La Joya' laid on no fewer than seven chances for his colleagues that night, six of which found Cristiano Ronaldo, including the assist for his second goal.

Not for the first time, Dybala had proven instrumental in grinding out a result from a high stakes clash. This season, Dybala has found the scoresheet in narrow wins against Atlético Madrid, Atalanta, Inter (twice) and Milan.

When facing the Rossoneri in November, Dybala actually came on for Ronaldo, stabbing in the only goal of a tense 1-0 win. For the reverse fixture post-lockdown, Dybala was once again left out of the starting lineup - though due to suspension rather than a tactical tweak. His absence, along with Matthijs de Ligt, proved pivotal, as Juve stumbled to a 4-2 defeat at San Siro - once again emphasising his importance to the side.

After being cast aside 12 months ago, Dybala has returned from the brink to produce a superb individual campaign which has been justly rewarded with talks of a contract renewal. At just 26 years of age, Dybala could be at the heart of Juventus' attack for years to come if he can be tied down to a long-term deal.

Otherwise, the next time he is made to feel less than appreciated, he may not fight off his ever-growing list of suitors so readily.