Mike Dodds has spoken out about the future of Sunderland midfielder Chris Rigg.
Chris Rigg burst onto the scene last season, making his senior debut against Shrewsbury Town in January 2023 to become the second youngest player in the club’s history.
Despite huge interest from some of England’s biggest clubs, the midfielder went onto sign a two-year scholarship deal with the Black Cats last summer.
However, Rigg had really struggled to pick up game time in the first half of the campaign, failing to even make the match-day squad on 13 occasions.
This led to reports that Rigg was getting frustrated with his position at the club, while interest from the likes of Liverpool and Newcastle United begun to ramp up again.
Sunderland are hopeful that Michael Beale’s exit could encourage Rigg to stay on Wearside and it already looks like he is set to earn more minutes, making an 18-minute cameo in the defeat to Swansea City at the weekend.
Mike Dodds has spoken very highly of the 16-year-old and has addressed his future at the club.
Speaking to The Northern Echo, the interim coach said: “Riggy is a good player. I was asked in one interview whether the young group is an issue, age is completely irrelevant for me. Regardless of Chris’s age, all I see is a good footballer.
“When you have someone like Chris Rigg, you can play him, I wouldn’t say anywhere, but in terms of midfield, we played him wider (against Swansea) but the instruction was to be wide and come inside to try and get him in the ball.
“That was more because I just felt the midfield three got more of a grip of the game and I didn’t want to disrupt them, but I also wanted to get Chris on because I understand his quality and what he brings to the team.
“I think he’ll be a midfielder long-term and I think as time goes on he’ll be a really important player for us.”
Should Chris Rigg be starting for Sunderland?
Chris Rigg definitely has one of the highest ceilings in the entire Sunderland squad and he is yet to even make his first start for the senior team.
The youngster has looked really bright when he has come on in recent weeks and I don’t think it will be long before we see him making an impact from the start.
While Dan Neil has been brilliant for the most part this season, the inconsistent form of Jobe Bellingham and Pierre Ekwah could offer Rigg a chance to make his mark – and rightly so.
He may only be 16, but the teenager has already shown he is good enough to compete in the Championship and, if we don’t give him that opportunity, he could quite easily jump ship and move to the Premier League.