Manchester United have appointed a new manager in Ruben Amorim. And for Sunderland and Chris Rigg, it could have huge implications.
Sunderland star Chris Rigg has been linked with a move to Manchester United this season, following his stunning start to the campaign under Regis Le Bris.
Recently, it was claimed that Manchester United have scouted Rigg heavily this season with the 17-year-old having featured 14 times in the Championship, scoring three.
Real Madrid are also interested in Rigg ahead of 2025. But it’s reported that Manchester United are the favourites to sign Rigg at this moment in time.
At the end of October, the Red Devils parted ways with previous boss Erik ten Hag, with Ruben Amorim having now left Sporting Lisbon to take charge at Old Trafford.
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What are Ruben Amorim’s January transfer plans at Manchester United?
After ten Hag’s sacking, Gary Neville said Manchester United should wait until next summer to make any new signings, and leave the next boss to work with the current crop of players.
Amorim has now arrived in England to start working with his new players. And inevitably, there’s a number of rumours circulating about who his first signing might be.
Various reports claim that United want to sign Juventus defender Danilo, Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku, Sporting’s young forward Geovany Quenda and attacking midfielder/winger Pedro Goncalves, whilst Express suggest that Amorim needs to address the main two problem positions at left-back and up front.
Meanwhile, former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown, who also worked at Sunderland under Roy Keane, has played down the chances of a busy January at Old Trafford.
He told Football Insider: “They spent a lot of money getting the manager in and getting ten Hag out.
“From what I’ve heard, there’s not a lot of money left to spend on players. The board will expect that they’ve appointed a top-line coach who can coach the players that are already available to him.”
What does this mean for Sunderland and Chris Rigg
There definitely seems to be a concrete interest from United in Rigg. But with the change in manager and the immediate issue of league form needing to be addressed, it looks as though a move for Rigg could quickly slip down Manchester United’s to do list.
It also looks like Amorim arriving at United has added more players to the club’s transfer wishlist, who have quickly moved up and above Rigg on said list, and so that can only be good news for Sunderland.
What’s more is that United seem to be targeting other areas of the pitch whilst also having other reported targets in Rigg’s position, so it certainly looks like Amorim arriving at Manchester United has served as a positive to Sunderland where Rigg is regarded.
That said, Rigg is tipped to leave Sunderland in 2025 regardless of whether the Black Cats achieve promotion. But a move Manchester United in January now feels unlikely.
That said, United aren’t the only team interested in Rigg, so where a January exit for Rigg is concerned, Sunderland still have no guarantees. But with no other team having shown as strong an interest as United in recent weeks, a move next summer feels much more likely for Rigg.