Juventus smanager Massimiliano Allegri believes Paulo Dybala's comparisons with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has damaged the player.
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The Argentina international has found himself among the substitutes in recent matches for the Italian champions, but he returned to the line up against Hellas Verona and bagged a brace on Saturday night.
However, Allegri feels it's unfair to compare a 24-year-old with Ronaldo and Messi, who he described as 'sacred monsters of football'.
"The relationship with him absolutely hasn't changed," Allegri told reporters on Friday. "Dybala came to Juventus three years ago and I think he's grown a lot.
"Juventus put even more emphasis on his qualities and he's given a lot to Juventus. In my opinion, he still has huge margins for improvement.
"The comparisons which were made at the start [of the season] were damaging for Paulo, but fortunately he's a smart lad and he understands you can't compare a lad of 24 to two sacred monsters of football [Messi and Ronaldo], who have won 10 Ballons d'Or.
"Plus there's Neymar who is another that is close. So Paulo has to make his own way and not be compared to any other player. He has his own qualities, he's an extraordinary player. You just have to watch him to see he's different from the others.
"But these comparisons which were made were a bit damaging, these are comparisons which cannot and should not be made, you can't compare a 24-year-old lad to two who have won 10 Ballons d'Or. But in Italy... It's not just Dybala, Dybala is the least of that problem. There are lads who play half an hour and the next day they're worth €40million."
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Do you think Dybala's performances have been affected by these comparisons? Have your say in the comment section below.
