Have Dibling and Fernandes done enough to start for Southampton?

Russell Martin has promised his starting XI will receive a refresh when they welcome Manchester United to St Mary's.

The boss has named the same outfield lineup in all three games so far this season - the only alteration to his side saw Aaron Ramsdale replace Alex McCarthy.

Tyler Dibling and Mateus Fernandes' cameos from the bench have placed them in a strong position for selection against the Red Devils.

Cameron Archer is another who could receive his first league start of the season after Adam Armstrong's poor fortunes in front of goal so far.

In games where Saints have looked short of ideas in attack, Dibling and Fernandes have added much-needed dynamism and energy in defeat.

Academy graduate Tyler Dibling was a standout performer in pre-season (Image: Stuart Martin)
Portuguese youth international Fernandes arrived on the south coast to little fanfare - he spent last season on loan at Estoril, away from the eyes of Saints fans.

But the 20 year old has developed a positive reputation in his early days on the south coast by virtue of his performances.

Having joined after the opening game, Fernandes has only made substitute appearances in the league so far - his sole start coming at Cardiff City in the Carabao Cup.

The Sporting Academy graduate got off the mark in that game with a well-hit effort from the edge of the box before laying on an assist for fellow summer signing Archer.

Mateus Fernandes scores his first Southampton goal as Saints take the lead at Cardiff 🔴⚪ pic.twitter.com/oWDgzhVg9e

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) August 28, 2024

He was introduced at halftime of Southampton's 3-1 defeat at Brentford in an attempt to get back into the game.

Fernandes offers more energy in midfield than his counterparts Smallbone and Joe Aribo - and is more direct on the ball.

He ranks higher than the pair for forward passes per 90 (16) and passes into the final third per 90 (6.1).

Statistically, he matches up quite well on the defensive side. He's managed a similar number of recoveries, interceptions and defensive duels.

One concern is Fernandes' physicality. He was knocked off the ball on more than one occasion against a strong Brentford side. 

However, Manchester United have shown they can be got at when pressed high. Experienced midfielder Casemiro was hooked in their 3-0 defeat at Liverpool due to errors on the ball.

Fernandes' energy could hurt United. Martin could ask him to press the United midfield before looking to hurt them by playing forward quickly.

The current midfield set-up of Downes-Smallbone-Aribo is crying out for direct dynamism and Fernandes has shown he can provide that. 

Southampton manager Russell Martin and Mateus Fernandes (Image: Stuart Martin)
Supporters naturally take to academy graduates quicker than players signed from elsewhere. Dibling's appearances have already been met with chants of 'he's one of our own.'

But the fanfare surrounding the talented teenager stretches much further than his long-standing Saints connection.

Martin described him as Southampton's "biggest attacking threat" following his 10-minute cameo against Nottingham Forest.

Only Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White attempted more dribbles (six) than Dibling (five) across the entire 97-minute game.

Dibling is the type of player who gets fans on their feet. In the age of passing football, the Exeter-born attacker takes the game to his opponents.

No player in the Premier League has completed more take-ons leading to shots than Dibling (3) this season. 

That is despite the fact the 18 year old has only played just 63 minutes so far - his Premier League debut came from the bench at Newcastle United.

Dibling is tied with Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Liverpool’s Luis Diaz, who for comparison have played 256 and 226 minutes respectively.

Only Flynn Downes (12) has managed more shot-creating actions than Dibling (nine) in a Saints shirt this season.

Smallbone has also managed nine shot-creating actions but has played 3.5 times the amount of football his young teammate has received.

Dibling has also shown an ability to contribute out of possession and link up with his teammates when a one-on-one dribble is not optimal.

Against Brentford, he read Mikkel Damsgaard's pass and pinched the ball before laying off to Downes under pressure from an opposition defender.

Tyler Dibling steals possession in the final third against Brentford (Image: Wyscout)
Tyler Dibling moves the ball onto Flynn Downes, who plays Joe Aribo in on the right (Image: Wyscout)
Joe Aribo runs out of room while trying to dribble beyond the Brentford defenders (Image: Wyscout)
Although Aribo ultimately failed to deliver the cross, these are the type of moves Saints need to produce more often in order to hurt teams this season.

Dibling's natural tendency is to progress the ball. He constantly scans the space around him - both in and out of possession.

On average, a quarter of his passes (9.1) have been played forward (more than any other attacker) while 15.2 of his passes per 90 minutes have gone backwards.

Russell Martin has pledged to help Tyler Dibling to improve physically (Image: PA)
Martin has expressed concerns that Dibling is not ready to handle the physical load of playing 90 minutes regularly at senior level.

He didn't start at Brentford for that reason - however, that followed 90 minutes in the Carabao Cup at Cardiff City, his first full game in senior football.

There is a case to be made that Dibling is better suited to coming off the bench. His direct skillset is exactly what tiring defenders dread coming up against.

However, to counter that, he has been the most creative player in attack this season and you need your best players playing as much as possible at this level.

Southampton have built their reputation on the mantra 'if you're good enough, you're old enough.'