Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov has warned prospective signing Paulo Dybala may struggle with the physicality of the Premier League if he arrives at Old Trafford.
MEN Sport understands United are in talks to sign Dybala in a swap with Romelu Lukaku, who looks to be heading to Juventus.
United have maintained they will only sell Lukaku — who has also interested Inter Milan — if they have a replacement lined up. And former United forward Berbatov — although an admirer of Dybala — believes that he needs to study players like Man City's David Silva to thrive in the Premier League.
"I am a fan of Dybala. You can see his football intelligence. The thinking, his pass, the left-foot, his shots, his free-kicks, I like him a lot," Berbatov told Metro.
"The only thing is that he is not big, he’s small. Will he fit into the Premier League where it’s more physical?
"But you look at other players with his stature – David Silva for example – he’s a legend. It’s important for him to look at those types of players if the deal goes through."
On the Lukaku and Dybala swap, Berbatov thinks the deal works for everyone, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer preferring more mobile forwards like Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Dybala.
"This is down to what the managers want," added Berbatov. "If Maurizio Sarri wants someone like Lukaku and thinks Juventus can benefit and Ole thinks Dybala is someone he needs and that he doesn’t need a traditional number nine then it’s good for everyone.
"Now it’s down to find a solution but what happens if Dybala decides he likes Italy and doesn’t want to go?
"In this case I am very surprised because they have a lot of other strikers.
"I am surprised because Juventus have Higuain, Mandzukic, Ronaldo. I like Higuain a lot, he gets unfair criticism. He’s a very intelligent player and I like the way he moves."
