Sugawara backs Dibling to be 'one of best' in Premier League

Dibling delivered his latest eye-catching performance despite Southampton's 3-0 defeat against Manchester United on Saturday.

The 18 year old was making his first Premier League start and played in tandem with Sugawara down the right, as Saints switched to a back four.

The Japanese international praised the talented teenager for winning the penalty - which was crucially missed by Cameron Archer.

Speaking to the Daily Echo, Sugawara said: “I still can't believe he's still 18 years old, he's a top, top player already. 

"He showed some really good stuff in the game and created big chances. He got a penalty and he also defended well. 

"He's a top talent and he will be one of the best players in the Premier League. I really enjoyed the game with him.

Southampton's Tyler Dibling fouled by Diogo Dalot resulting in a penalty (Image: Stuart Martin) "It was really comfortable to play on the right side, he really knows what I want. We had really good communication. It's going to be better I think.”

He continued: "When I saw his first session, I thought he was not 18. I asked, 'How old are you?' Then he said 18, I said, 'What the... is that?' He's crazy, you know? 

“But for sure he will be one of the best players because of his mentality, everything will be top-level. He's still young, he needs to learn a lot of things but he just needs to focus on the process and what he wants to be."

Despite losing all four of their Premier League games this season, Sugawara believes Saints are close to the levels required to start winning matches.

The 24 year old was visibly disappointed with the result during his post-match interview but was buoyed by the performance in the first 35 minutes.

Manager Russell Martin's side had been the better side until Manchester United took the lead on 35 minutes through Matthijs de Ligt.

Dibling stung the palms of Onana before Lesley Ugochukwu headed just over from a corner. However, Archer's missed penalty was the turning point.

Yukinari Sugawara attempts to tackle Marcus Rashford (Image: Stuart Martin) Saints failed to register another effort on goal after his rebound was saved, while club captain Jack Stephens saw red for a foul on Alejandro Garnacho.

“Of course, we were disappointed with the result, but especially the first 30 minutes, we really dominated the game," Sugawara insisted. 

"We could (have) scored a few times and we didn't make it, so that made it difficult to win the game. I felt good in the first half.

"Everyone expects a penalty (to be scored), but sometimes it doesn't happen, but we need to stay focused after that.

Southampton's Yukinari Sugawara (Image: Stuart Martin) "We conceded two goals from set pieces. That's unacceptable. Those are things that make a difference in the game. I think we were a little bit less focused.

"If we played how we did in the first half, then there was a chance to score and win, but we tried to win and score and create chances, but we couldn't get enough.

"Manchester United is one of the top clubs, they know how to win, but we could have done some better things I think.

"(I'm encouraged) by how we played and how we trained, including pre-season, because we had a really good training sessions until now, so we're almost there.

"We couldn't win in the last four games, but we showed really good points in the game, so it's almost there, we feel it."