Man Utd chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe witnessed an unconvincing win over Southampton (Image: Getty)
chief will be tempted to pull the trigger on a move for Tyler Dibling after watching the giants underwhelm in 3-1 win against .
The British billionaire, 72, made the trip in freezing conditions to watch ‘s strugglers from the directors’ box on Thursday night.
But he would’ve been deeply unhappy with a dire performance from Amorim’s men, who only turned the game on its head late on courtesy of hat-trick hero Amad Diallo.
The performance of Saints starlet Dibling might have tempted Ratcliffe to step up United’s reported interest after producing an excellent display way beyond his years.
The 18-year-old grabbed himself an assist after sending in a teasing corner, which was turned into his own net by Red Devils midfielder Manuel Ugarte just before the interval. But it was Dibling’s all-round contribution that was one to note as he glided around the pitch in a style similar to Jack Grealish, wreaking havoc for the hosts’ backline.
United are well aware of the highly-rated attacking midfielder’s talents following his breakthrough campaign on the South Coast, proving to be a shining light in a bleak season for Southampton.
Reports in December suggested United had sent scouts to watch Dibling, while Aston Villa and a host of clubs from Germany and Italy had shown their interest.
His show at Old Trafford only underlined the urgency in United making a move after they were outclassed by the visitors and drew another blank in front of goal.
Southampton starlet Tyler Dibling has reportedly been on Man Utd’s radar for some time (Image: Getty)
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A fee of £21million had been mooted for Dibling, who has made 24 appearances this season and scored four goals. It remains to be seen if United could afford such a fee with their pursestrings particularly tight.
However, when United’s interest first surfaced in December, Russell Martin laughed off reports suggesting United would be successful if they launched a bid for that amount.
The now-unemployed coach – replaced by Ivan Juric in late December – also joked that such an amount would not be enough to even procure Dibling’s left leg.
“I was told some rumours about , one was a bid of £21m. I’m not sure you’ll get his left foot for that,” Martin said.
Southampton are desperate to hold on to prized asset Tyler Dibling (Image: Getty)
But there is hope ahead for United, as Dibling has stalled over signing a new contract at St Mary’s. That deal has gone unsigned while Southampton face being relegated from the top flight, barring a miraculous recovery in the second half of the season.
“We have offered him a contract, a really good contract for someone his age,” Martin added. “At the minute, I don’t think his agent agrees, so that’s where we’re at.
“I think Tyler wants it done, I think Tyler’s parents want it done, so we’ll see how long that takes.
“There is an option. We can extend. I don’t think we want to do that – we want to reward Tyler for his performances.”
And perhaps Dibling’s reward will come in the form of a move to Man United in the near future after undeservedly ending up on the losing side.