Southampton winger Tyler Dibling has revealed he tries to ignore reports linking him with a blockbuster exit from St Mary’s this summer with Manchester United believed to be right at the front of the queue for the talented youngster.
Dibling, 19, has been a rare bright spot for the Saints in an otherwise dismal season on the South coast for the promoted side.
Southampton were confirmed to be returning to the Championship on April 6 following a loss against Tottenham Hotspur – the club’s 25th defeat in the Premier League. And with it, they became the first side in the division’s history to be relegated with seven games remaining, having seen two managers sacked – Russel Martin and Ivan Juric.
There has been little for Southampton fans to cling to amidst this unrelenting wave of negativity – but Dibling’s bright performances on the right-hand side was one such ray of light.
The 19-year-old winger is something of an old-school wide man with a name which matches his dribble-heavy style. He is a confident player relative to his age, unafraid to take on opposition fullbacks with his potent pairing of pace and trickery.
Often deployed at right-midfield in Southampton’s system, be it a 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1, 5-4-1 set-up, Dibling displays the same exciting and direct style.
He ranks highly for successful take-ons and progressive carries – two attributes United head coach Ruben Amorim values highly in his wide players – amongst Europe’s top five leagues.
And while Dibling only has two goals in the Premier League to his name, he could have had far more with better luck or better players around him to utilise his good work. Just ask Diogo Dalot, who Dibling ran ragged at St Mary’s in September, despite United ultimately prevailing with a 3-0 win.
A host of England’s biggest clubs, including Spurs, Newcastle and, of course, United, have been linked with a summer swoop for the youngster given Southampton will no longer be able to offer him Premier League football.
The Saints are reported to have slapped down a £100 million price tag on their starlet, though this will be a negotiating tactic with a deal expected to be in a range almost half of that.
This hasn’t stopped Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale – nicknamed ‘Rambo’ – from referencing the exorbitant price in training, Dibling reveals.
“‘Rambo loves it. I’ll miss a shot in training and he’ll just go: “£90million! £80million!” as it keeps going down. It’s all good fun. There’s a few nicknames going around. It’s all jokes. Nobody takes it seriously. It’s just a number. It’s all fun.”
However, Dibling is keen to stress his focus remains on Southampton – for now, at least – and he refuses to dwell on links to other clubs in the division.
“I don’t try to think about it and just try and go into train every day and work hard and train the best I can. At the end of the day, I love Southampton. I have been here since I was eight. It is such a great team and I am working to do big things with them.”
But while Dibling may be deliberately choosing not to think about a summer exit, executives at Old Trafford are certainly thinking about him, with United’s prospects of securing the 18-year-old winger believed to be dependent on success in this season’s Europa League – and the reward of Champions League football next year it brings.
Feature image Michael Steele via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
