David Moyes has been told he should be open to letting Tyler Dibling leave Everton on loan this summer. The Blues completed the transfer of winger Dibling from Southampton for an undisclosed fee, believed to be £40m, on a four-year contract last summer.
The 20-year-old was the club's most expensive signing of a summer rebuild and strengthened an area - right wing - in which David Moyes was struggling for depth. But despite arriving at Hill Dickinson Stadium to much fanfare, the England under-21 international spent most of the campaign in the wilderness.
Dibling only made 17 appearances in all competitions for the Blues and failed to feature in any of his side's last nine games of the season.
Iain Dowie Advocates for Return to Southampton
Former Southampton forward Iain Dowie, speaking via Betano Casino, would love to see the winger return to St Mary's this summer. He said: "Would I like to see Tyler Dibling back at Southampton? One hundred percent. It hasn't worked out at Everton and he's struggled for opportunities, but David Moyes has done a very good job there.
"That's not a reflection of Tyler Dibling's talent, he's hugely talented with enormous potential. Southampton fans would love to have him back on loan. I think that may well happen. If not, Southampton will be lucky to get him, but he might go elsewhere on loan. He needs to get out and play. I'm not sure he'll get much football at Everton this year, so David Moyes should be open to it."
Leon Osman on Moyes' Approach to Young Players
But speaking last month, former Everton midfielder Leon Osman believes Dibling's time in the shadows at Everton is an example of how Moyes likes to nurture young players. "There is no doubt as we saw from his time at Southampton, that Dibling is a huge talent, very naturally gifted, dribbles brilliantly with the football," he told BBC Sport.
"He was a free spirit. When you move to the next level, you have to learn more things. And that doubles when you play for a David Moyes team, with his expectations of what you have to do off the ball.
"This was probably one of the reasons why I took a bit of time to prove to David Moyes I could do that, but also one of the reasons I stayed in the team because in a David Moyes side, what you do off the ball can often be more important than what you do on the ball.
"David is well aware that there is no 'one size fits all' way of going about it. He knows talent. He understands characters. I think his character knowledge has certainly risen since his time away from Everton because he's kept up to date with the modern player.
"He's kept himself young by keeping that next generation around him, so he does understand this generation. I think he makes sure that everybody gets what they need.
"You have to prove that you can work for the team and you can work off the ball. Yes, you might make mistakes going forward, he will understand that goes with the territory, but you have to make sure you do the job defensively going back because there has to be a balance within the team."
