Sunderland starlet Chris Rigg achieves another milestone, in his short yet stellar career so far, this time on the international stage.
Sunderland have had a plethora of their first-team stars away on international duty during the recent break, with Jobe Bellingham, Eliezer Mayenda and Trai Hume all earning minutes for their respective national sides.
Black Cats centre-back Chris Mepham shone on international duty also and was hailed as ‘strong’ in the Welsh media.
Unfortunately for the Black Cats, not all of those imperative players came out of the break unscathed, as Sunderland full-back Hume was withdrawn from Northern Ireland’s squad.
Meaning that Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris could be forced to reshuffle his defensive pack when the Black Cats host their former boss as Alex Neil’s Millwall visit on Saturday afternoon.
Another Black Cats talent who turned heads on the international stage was 17-year-old starlet Chris Rigg, whose exciting career continues to go from strength-to-strength after his latest milestone.
Chris Rigg’s statement after scoring on England Under-19s debut
England’s under-19s finished their March international break undefeated, beating Portugal 1-0 on Tuesday evening, as Sunderland ace Rigg scored an early game-winning strike on his debut for Will Antwi’s side.
Spurs youngster Mikey Moore delivered a low cross into the box which the young Portuguese defence failed to deal with as Rigg dispatched home from close-range.
Rigg was later booked just shy of the 30-minute mark and was replaced with ten minutes to go by Joshua King as the Young Lions held onto the victory to secure qualification for this summer’s finals in Romania.
The Sunderland starlet posted on social media after the game: “19s debut, winning goal, into the Euro finals.”
In-demand Sunderland ace Chris Rigg’s career continues to flourish
Rigg’s remarkable rise from academy youngster to first-team star in little over a year is testament to the level of talent Sunderland have nurtured and given the platform to showcase his gifted talent by just 17-years-old.
Recent transfer reports on Sunderland’s Rigg indicate that Premier League giants Arsenal and Manchester have scouted Rigg, with West Ham also seriously interested in Rigg, who Sunderland value at around the £20million mark.
| Key statistics | Chris Rigg for Sunderland so far this season |
| Games played | 34 (29 starts) |
| Goals | 4 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Successful passes | 635 |
| Successful dribbles | 33 |
| Duels won | 138 |
| Fouls won | 46 |
| Yellow cards | 7 |
His performances and talent have already been at an impressive level, with the youngster cementing himself as a crucial component in Le Bris’ side, and Sunderland supporters will be hoping Rigg will help propel their promotion push during the upcoming final eight-game run-in.
Sunderland’s best chance of retaining Rigg beyond this season is to secure promotion and a return to the Premier League promised land, as if they fail to do so, then those circling Premier League sharks will likely pounce to secure Rigg’s signature this summer.