Juventus CEO Giuseppe Marotta Defends 'Maturing' Paulo Dybala From Critics Amid Agent Split

Juventus CEO Giuseppe Marotta has defended his club's talisman Paulo Dybala from accusations that his performances are worsening, while shedding light on the the player's recent breakup with his agent. 

Marotta spoke at an awards ceremony in Milan this week, and was asked about Dybala's TV image rights that are now being revised following the end of his relationship with the agent. 

He said (via  GazzaMercato): "The profile of the typical modern player has radically changed. Nowadays, a footballer is more emancipated and is responsible for his own actions. It's necessary that he is closely followed and supported seriously.

"Dybala is 24 years old: I have made many mistakes when I was his age and it's normal if he doesn't do everything right."

Marotta underlined the importance of the club's support towards the Argentine superstar in such a hard moment, during which he's debating several contract issues with his ex-agents. 

He said: "He is now having a difficult separation from them, and it's possible that his performances on the pitch may be affected. We are supporting him and helping him to sort this problem out."

Aside from a beautiful free-kick in Juventus' home game against SPAL, Dybala has struggled in front of goal in the past few matches, which has led to criticism from the Italian media.

However, Marotta defended him by saying: "We landed him two years ago, and when he arrived he was already a talented player, but we want him to become a champion, with great personality and leading skills which he can only acquire with time.

"Whenever he's not at the top of his form, newspapers downgrade him from a six out of ten to a four on his performance since he got everyone used to seeing outstanding performances.

Marotta concluded: "When you evolve as a player, you need to make mistakes in order to mature".