Russell Martin was left blown away by one ‘excellent’ Southampton star for his performance in the 1-1 draw against Ipswich Town.
Southampton looked destined to record their first top-flight win of the season in a relegation six-pointer against Ipswich Town.
The Saints took the lead through 18-year-old Tyler Dibling, who scored his maiden Premier League goal with a superb finish in the fifth minute.
Russell Martin’s men managed to hold that lead until the dying embers as the Southampton boss was left seething when the visitors scored in the 95th minute.
It was a draw that would have felt like a defeat after leading the game for so long but Martin still found an opportunity to praise one of his stars from Saturday afternoon.
- READ MORE: Rio Ferdinand makes ‘important’ Tyler Dibling claim at Southampton amid Marcus Rashford comparison
Russell Martin hails ‘excellent’ Tyler Dibling after Ipswich Town draw
Dibling terrorised Manchester United’s Diogo Dalot on his first Premier League start for the Saints last weekend.
The fleet-footed winger was hacked down in the box by Dalot, resulting in a penalty that Cameron Archer missed and that ended up proving costly.
Man United have since placed Dibling on their transfer radar despite Southampton hoping they can tie the youngster down to a long-term contract.
Nonetheless, the academy graduate showed why he’s wanted by one of the biggest clubs in the world after netting against Ipswich, with Martin left blown away by his ‘excellent’ performance.
The Southampton boss claims he’d ‘pay a lot of money to watch him play football’ and is fortunate that he gets to work with him every day.
“He can do things that not many other players I’ve ever seen can do,” Martin said via X. “I love watching him play. I’d pay a lot of money to watch him play football.
“Fortunately, I’m the guy that gets to work with him and try and develop him.”
Tyler Dibling’s performance in numbers vs Ipswich
In the early stages of his professional career, Dibling has been compared to Manchester City star Jack Grealish for how he glides past players with the ball.
When he receives possession, his first thought is to drive with it and that is why he’s been a breath of fresh air to watch since arriving in the first team.
Against Ipswich, Dibling was the Saints’ main attacking outlet but also an extra layer of defensive protection, as he showed his willingness to track back and help out Yukinari Sugawara.
Below are Dibling’s stats from 82 minutes of action played, as per Sofascore.
- 42 touches
- 0.66 Expected Goal (xG)
- 0.20 Expected Assists (xA)
- 24/29 (83%) accurate passes
- 1 big chance created
- 3 successful dribbles
- 8 ground duels won
To post the above numbers at the age of 18 in the biggest league in the world is nothing short of sensational and is a further reminder of why Southampton must tie Dibling down to a long-term contract.