LITTLE over 18 months ago, the two were viewed as the future of football. With Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi entering the autumns of their respective careers, it was widely thought that Kylian Mbappe and Paulo Dybala represented the next generation of global superstars. Like the two multi-time Ballon d’Or winners, they seemed intrinsically linked, and their head-to-head meeting in the 2016/17 Champions League semi-finals was expected to be the first of many clashes in the years to come.

They arrived at that point having each used the previous round to turn in a display that would dominate the headlines and highlight reels over the weeks and months that followed. Dybala struck first, scoring two spectacular goals to help Juventus rout Barcelona 3-0 in Turin, Mbappe following suit just 24 hours later, bagging a brace of his own as AS Monaco ran out 3-2 winners at Borussia Dortmund’s imposing Westfalenstadion.

The Bianconeri would eventually progress at the expense of the side from the Principality, but the duo continued to be discussed as likely Ballon d’Or winners in the not-too-distant future. To further push them into the spotlight, Mbappe made a hugely expensive move to Paris Saint-Germain and Dybala inherited the no.10 shirt at Juve that had previously been worn by Michel Platini, Roberto Baggio and Alessandro Del Piero.

Yet the events of July 15, 2018 seem to have finally separated them. That was of course the day of the World Cup Final, where Mbappe became the first teenager to score in the showpiece event since Pelé did so back in 1958. The presence of Neymar in Paris has done little to overshadow his progress and the 20-year-old has taken a quantum leap forward, already weighing in with 21 goals and 8 assists in just 24 appearances for the Parisians this term.

At the same time Mbappe was helping France to lift the World Cup however, Cristiano Ronaldo was landing in Turin, signing for Juve in a €112 million deal that has completely transformed the entire club. Suddenly they were Europe’s must-watch team, selling out stadiums whether they were away at Chievo or playing at home in a big Champions League game.

Almost to a man the squad has taken a collective step forward, with perhaps the improvement of Mario Mandzukic – as discussed in this previous column – most exemplifying the way the Portuguese megastar’s insatiable work ethic has pushed everyone to be the very best they can be.

Except Dybala.

Is it odd to anyone else that Paulo Dybala's best performances this season (MUFC away, Young Boys home) have come when either Cristiano Ronaldo or Mario Mandzukic weren't available?

— Adam Digby (@Adz77) January 2, 2019

While Rodrigo Bentancur, Joao Cancelo and others look transformed, the former Palermo man has simply been wildly inconsistent. He has scored just two league goals (against Bologna and Cagliari) but was almost invisible in important wins over Inter, Fiorentina, AC Milan and Napoli.

Four goals in two Champions League games against Young Boys only serves to fuel the belief that Dybala is happy against the smaller sides but struggles against top level opposition. But, just as he put Barca to the sword in 2017, a trip to Old Trafford saw the 25-year-old score the only goal of the game to help Juve notch a memorable victory.

A major criticism has been his tendency to drift deep, moving back into midfield in search of the ball, only to find himself too far from the opposition goal to make an impact. Cancelo has dominated the right flank and carries the ball forward easily, yet Dybala insists on moving backwards rather than helping to stretch the defence, forcing his coach to defend his contributions.

"When you find the right combination among the players, everything works,” Max Allegri told reporters at a press conference last month when asked about his attacking trio. “It's true that Dybala scores less but it's also true that he connects the midfielders with the attackers and pulls us out of difficult situations with the technique and the team it benefits from it.”

Clearly talented and constantly seeking ways to make an impact, the real issue is that Dybala hasn’t clicked with Ronaldo the way Mandzukic has, the big Croatian happy to interchange roles with his new team-mate and thriving no matter where he is asked to feature. Instead, his best performances have come when one of the that duo is unavailable.

Mandzukic was injured when Juve took on Manchester United away, while the hat trick against Young Boys came when Ronaldo was suspended for his red card against Valencia in the previous fixture.

The reverse is also true as the Old Lady has often looked much more cohesive with Federico Bernardeschi starting in place of Dybala. That is not to say the Italian is a better player, but he certainly seems much more well-suited to life alongside Ronaldo than his Argentinian colleague has been able to so far.

Perhaps the answer is to use Dybala in the no.9 role Mandzukic occupies, rather than pressing him into service as a right winger, but it is hard to drop the Croatian when he always delivers against tough opponents and already has more Serie A goals this term (8) than he managed in all of last season (5).

Whether it is a case of a player struggling for form, a striker being played out of position or simply a bad fit, Dybala’s lack of form has led to speculation he could be sacrificed to fund other new faces for Juve. Earlier in the season a potential move to Manchester United – with Paul Pogba going in the opposite direction – was touted, but now Chelsea have emerged as the latest club to express their interest.

it remains to be seen how the recent move for Christian Pulisic affects that, but no matter where his future lies, Paulo Dybala has a long way to go to recapture his best, let alone getting back into a discussion that puts him alongside Kylian Mbappe.