Sunderland have a great history of producing incredible young players through the club’s academy, but hype around Chris Rigg has to be put into perspective, claims Michael Graham.
The Sunderland squad is blessed with talent that was born and raised on Wearside, with Chris Rigg joined by fellow academy graduates like Anthony Patterson and, of course, captain Dan Neil.
Rigg is a fine example of the production line at Sunderland, and he’s one of the most exciting young players in the Championship right now.
Rigg could well leave Sunderland in the summer, with mass interest coming from the Premier League. But, is he the best player the Mackems have brought through their ranks?
Chris Rigg compared to Jordan Henderson and Jordan Pickford
Over on Twitter/X, BBC Sport Tyne and Wear asked a big question, proposing that Rigg and Newcastle’s Lewis Miley could be the best young talents to emerge from the North East in the last 30 years.
A massive claim to make, and one that Sunderland expert Michael Graham quickly quashed that idea, using Jordan Henderson and Jordan Pickford as examples.
Graham wrote: “In the last 15 years, never mind 30, Wear alone has produced a midfielder who captained Liverpool while winning every single major trophy they could, as well as England’s most capped goalkeeper of all time at major tournaments.”
While Rigg is no doubt a top talent, there can be no comparisons just yet in terms of what he has achieved when you put him alongside the former Sunderland duo who have played at the very top level for club and country.
We still need to see so much more from Chris Rigg
There’s still a long way to go for Rigg. He’s still only 17-years-old, but he’s got a great deal of experience under his belt already, and is clearly the kind of raw talent that could and should go to the very top eventually.
He’s in a really fascinating and exciting young Sunderland side right now, and that Black Cats setup can surely help him continue to develop in the right direction. Rigg’s form and fitness appear to have dropped lately, but he’s still got the ability to transform a game with a moment of magic.
To have that ability at his age is almost unthinkable, but he really has to find more consistency if he wants to fulfil his immense potential. We’re sure he will do just that, over time, whether that is with Sunderland or not.
It is thought nine teams want Rigg in the summer. If he does make a move, it will be interesting to see if he can go on to establish himself alongside the likes of Henderson and Pickford on the biggest stage in the future.