Tyler Dibling Describes ‘Surreal’ Moment Playing Against Marcus Rashford

Southampton’s rising star Tyler Dibling has opened up about his “surreal” experience playing against Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford this season. The 18-year-old winger, who has made significant strides under manager Russell Martin, compared the experience to playing The Journey mode on FIFA, where players guide a young footballer through his career.

After limited first-team minutes in the Championship last season, Dibling is now a regular for Southampton in the Premier League. He spoke about how surreal it was to face Rashford, a player he had used in FIFA for years, during a match against Manchester United in September.

What Tyler Dibling Said

Dibling reflected on the experience, saying:

“Because I only played limited minutes for the club last year, I didn’t think I was going to go on and start a lot of games for the club. I was very nervous before it. It was against Manchester United as well. I felt like I was in The Journey on FIFA. It was weird. I had Rashford next to me. I’ve used him on FIFA for about five years. It was a bit surreal.”

Despite his nerves, Dibling quickly settled into the game:

“After that game, you just get used to it to be fair. I was so nervous before – I don’t usually get that nervous – but once you step on the pitch and I made that first pass, I settled. I took on [Diogo] Dalot and won a penalty. Unfortunately, Cam [Archer] missed it but it’s still a good moment.”