Tony Mowbray has admitted he has been extremely impressed with Chris Rigg in training.
Speaking to the Sunderland Echo, the Black Cats boss heaped praise on the youngster and tipped him to play for a top Premier League club in the future.
Sunderland did a brilliant job to keep hold of Rigg this summer, with the teenager attracting interest from the likes of Newcastle and Manchester United.
Rigg was first named in the senior squad in January 2023 when he was only 15 years old, before he eventually made his professional debut in a FA Cup clash with Shrewsbury Town days later.
Having made a further appearance against Fulham, the 16-year-old went onto commit his future to Sunderland and put pen to paper on a two-year scholarship contract.
Rigg has been a regular on the bench for the Black Cats this season and netted his first Championship goal in the 5-0 win over Southampton – becoming the club’s youngest ever league goalscorer.
While Rigg is still pushing for his first start in the Championship, Mowbray has admitted he has been impressed with his brilliant performances in training.
“Chris is doing very well, he’s a very robust kid who trains with us every day. He’s a joy to watch in training, to be honest,” Mowbray said.
“He doesn’t worry about who the big stars are in our team or anything like that, he will scythe them down if the ball is there to be won. I’m screaming ‘woah, woah’ sometimes on the sidelines because I can see his focus on the ball and that he is about to smash into somebody to get it.
“I shouldn’t be stopping him and normally I don’t but sometimes if it’s the day before a game… and I did do recently when I saw that he was about to fly into a 50-50 with Jobe! But listen, that is a great quality. And he is a lovely footballer, too. Even at such a young age, he is a leader through what he does and how he trains, an amazing kid given his age.
“I enjoy watching the careers of the players that I’ve worked with and Riggy is one where you are thinking to yourself, where is he going to be when I watch him in 10 years time and he’s 25,26? In my opinion, undoubtedly at a top team in the Premier League if he keeps working like he does. Let’s jope that top team is Sunderland, competing to get into Europe.
“But you never know, he could go anywhere because he is an amazing talent.”
Chris Rigg – the future of Sunderland?
Chris Rigg is clearly really enjoying his time on Wearside and sees Sunderland as the perfect place for him to develop, while he is likely to pick up a few starts in the remainder of the campaign.
However, it would be very surprising if Sunderland are able to keep him around in the long-term. The youngster is sensational for his age and it would be very impressive if the club were able to compete with some of the Premier League’s elite in 5-10 years time.