Pjanic backs Alajbegovic to ‘imitate’ Dybala at Juventus

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Former Juventus and Bosnia-Herzegovina midfielder Miralem Pjanic has backed teenager Kerim Alajbegovic to “imitate” Paulo Dybala for the Bianconeri.

Alajbegovic completed a reported €35m move to Juve from Bayer Leverkusen earlier this month after impressing for Salzburg last season and Bosnia-Herzegovina at the World Cup.

The 18-year-old scored nine goals and provided three assists in 28 Austrian Bundesliga appearances, while he directly contributed to three goals in seven Europa League games (two goals, one assist).

Alajbegovic was the youngest player in the Austrian Bundesliga to score multiple goals last season, and the only player in the competition to record 5+ goals (nine) and 50+ completed dribbles (51).

And at the World Cup for Bosnia-Herzegovina, he scored one goal and led all his team-mates in dribbles attempted (18) and completed (10), while also registering the joint-most chances created (four, alongside Esmir Bajraktarevic and Ivan Basic).

Pjanic played alongside Dybala for four seasons at Juve, and he believes Alajbegovic can have a similar impact as the Argentine forward.

“We hope that Kerim can imitate Paulo,” Pjanic told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

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“It’s a similar level of investment; the important thing will be what happens on the pitch. 

“Dybala scored and won a lot with Juventus. Alajbegovic is only at the beginning and has to stay humble, but he has the potential to have a top, top career. Let him have fun and grow without too much pressure.

“You feel the responsibility from the champions who previously wore the shirt when you’re at Juve.

“The important thing for now is that Kerim gets to know his team-mates well and learns Italian quickly, but we’re quite good with languages.”

Alajbegovic could make his competitive debut for Juve when they face Frosinone in their 2026-27 Serie A opener on August 23.

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