Tyler Dibling, born in 2006, scored his first senior goal during Southampton’s 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town, after an impressive performance against Manchester United. As a product of the Saints’ academy, Dibling was a standout player during pre-season and is now a key figure in Russell Martin’s Premier League team. With a contract at St Mary’s until 2026, the young attacker is likely to attract interest from top clubs in England by the end of this breakthrough season.
Russell Martin said “He has an incredible belief in himself in a really nice, humble, and modest way. He has to just keep living at 100 per cent. I think he has a brilliant support network with his family. He has a lot of trust from us and he has that back. It’s not always plain sailing with young players, so we need to make him understand that.”
Despite the inevitable hype surrounding Dibling, Martin remains confident in the player’s ability to stay grounded and continue developing. Martin emphasized the importance of maintaining Dibling’s hunger and humility, even as his career progresses.
Russell Martin said “At this minute in time, he couldn’t play for every team. He suits the way we play a lot, and he’s getting so much better at the stuff he needs to improve. He needs to continue to develop and stay so hungry. I think that’s always a challenge with young players when they have a quick rise—to keep them humble and to keep them wanting to learn, improve, and develop. But with Tyler, I don’t see that being a problem. He’s such a calm and confident boy in the nicest way, so as long as he maintains his sense of self and his character and his personality. That’s up to us to help him do that along with his family, then I’ve got no worries about him.”
Martin also touched on the importance of experienced players, like Adam, in nurturing the development of younger talents like Dibling. Adam’s leadership and vision both on and off the pitch have been key to guiding the younger players in the squad.
Russell Martin said “I think it was part of the reason to bring Adam in. It was a big part of that, not just on the pitch but off the pitch. He is someone who’s aligned in terms of his vision of the game and his values as a person and is really demanding with the young guys on the training pitch. He’s probably the only guy I know that moans more than me on the training pitch but in a much better way than I was. When he talks, they listen.”
