Southampton boss Ivan Juric has made no guarantees that teenage star Tyler Debling will not be sold in the January window.
Debling has been a shining light in an absolutely miserable season for Saints, who sit bottom of the Premier League with just six points to their name.
The 18-year-old winger has been linked with moves to RB Leipzig, Tottenham and Manchester United, with Southampton reportedly placing a £55m price tag on his shoulders.
▪️Kamal Al-Din
▪️Tyler Debling
▪️Albert Gronbach🗞️ The manager provides a team news update:
– Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) January 23, 2025
With relegation looming, the club faces the dilemma of whether to benefit now or potentially see its value decline in the summer.
“There are no guarantees in football, we know that,” Juric said.
“But I'm pretty sure I'll be coaching Dibbling all this year. He's very motivated, as we saw in the match. I saw him really focused, focused. No problem.”
Diebling misses Magpies clash due to injury
Diebling will miss Saturday's match at home with Newcastle after suffering an ankle injury during the defeat against Manchester United last week.
The early prognosis is that the player will be out for up to six weeks, but Juric is hopeful he can return before that.
He added: “At this moment, we are a little more optimistic.” We'll see next week how we go. Everyone is optimistic and we will see. “Next week we can say something more.”
Kamal Eddine Slimana will also miss this weekend's match.
“I think he's had some really good games since I arrived, but he won't play against Newcastle because he has a little injury,” Juric said.
“Like Tyler Debling, I think he'll stay here. I think we'll find a way to play with these two guys, they've done a really good job and now we're losing them to their injuries. In the future he'll be a good option for us.”
