CHRIS RIGG made history at the weekend when he came off the bench at Shrewsbury Town to become the youngest outfield player in Sunderland’s history.

At the age of just 15 years and 203 days, Rigg is regarded as one of the most exciting prospects in the English game.

But who is the teenager, why is he regarded so highly, and what is likely to happen to him over the course of the next few years?


WHERE IS RIGG FROM?

Sunderland’s brightest young prospect hails from Hebburn, and is part of a family that has grown up supporting the Black Cats’ fiercest rivals, Newcastle United.

However, he has been part of Sunderland’s academy set-up throughout his footballing development, having initially joined the club at primary-school age.

He was promoted to the Black Cats’ Under-23 set-up earlier this season, and has now been fast-tracked straight into the senior squad, but because of his age, he still has to combine his football with education.

Rigg is due to sit his GCSE exams this summer, and is part of a day-release scheme that sees him leave school for two or three days a week to train at the Academy of Light.


WHAT HAS HE ACHIEVED SO FAR?

Rigg was the star of the Sunderland side that won the Under-15 Premier League Floodlit Cup last season, a considerable achievement given that the senior Black Cats side was still playing in League One at the time.

His performances in that age group saw him fast-tracked through Sunderland’s academy system, and in the wake of Saturday’s FA Cup appearance, Tony Mowbray has stated that he will now be spending his time with the senior set-up.

The youngster’s talents have already attracted the attention of England’s scouts, and not only was he called up to the England Under-16s side last year, he was also handed the captain’s armband.

His most recent competitive international outing came in October, when he was part of the England Under-17s side that drew 1-1 with Israel to ensure they topped their Euro Under-17s qualifying group.

The Northern Echo: Chris Rigg made his senior Sunderland debut at Shrewsbury Town at the weekendChris Rigg made his senior Sunderland debut at Shrewsbury Town at the weekend (Image: Ian Horrocks)


WHAT TYPE OF A PLAYER IS HE?

Rigg is a left-footed midfielder who tends to play in a central-midfield position. It will be interesting to see how his game evolves, but at this stage of his development, he looks like a classic ‘number eight’ capable of getting on the ball to create things in the final third but also robust enough to fulfil his defensive-midfield duties.

“He’s got a wonderful left foot, and he is an incredibly competitive animal,” said Mowbray, speaking ahead of Saturday’s game. “It was really interesting for me to watch him – I have to say that the potential looks enormous.

“He looks like someone who is going to play with that silkiness, with the passing on his left foot, and he looks to have that tiger in him as well. He wants to tackle everyone. It’s not a bad mix for a midfielder.

“He’s a boy of 15, so I don’t want to build him up too much, other than to say that from what I’ve seen, he warrants being around our squad.”


JUST HOW GOOD IS HE?

Clearly, these are early days in Rigg’s development, but speak to anyone who has worked with him, and it is immediately clear that the 15-year-old is a special talent.

Graeme Murty, who was appointed as Sunderland’s head of professional development phase last October, has been overseeing the midfielder’s move through the academy system, and has likened him to Scotland international Billy Gilmour, who was breaking into the senior set-up at Rangers when he was in charge at Ibrox.

“There’s parallels between him (Rigg) and Billy Gilmour,” said Murty, when asked about Rigg in November. “I saw that at close hand at Rangers, because of the young age and the interest in the player.

“We have to make sure we individualise his programme because he’ll be on a different programme to his peers of the same age. I’m going to be phoning Ryan Garry, who is lead coach of England Under-17s, looking for feedback on Chris and looking at what England see for him moving forward.”

Mowbray is also a big fan, and is adamant that Rigg’s promotion to the senior side at the weekend was an acknowledgment of the youngster’s talent rather than a reflection of how light Sunderland’s squad is at the moment.

“He’s talented,” said the Black Cats boss. “He doesn’t train with us every day because he’s at school, but when he does train, he’s tenacious, he tackles and doesn’t hold too much respect for the other players. He was put on the pitch because he deserves to be on the pitch.”


MIGHT SUNDERLAND STRUGGLE TO KEEP HIM?

In a word, yes. Rigg’s current youth deal is due to expire at the end of the season, and while the Black Cats are desperate to avoid a repeat of the last few years, in which a host of their most talented youngsters have been plucked from their reach, the reality is that there is not a lot they can do if Premier League clubs come knocking.

And they will. Newcastle have been heavily linked with a summer move – there would be an emotional pull to joining the Magpies – but the word within scouting circles is that Manchester United and Liverpool are also preparing lucrative deals that will be presented to Rigg and his representatives after he turns 16.

If Rigg was to move on, Sunderland would be able to command considerable compensation, with a fee in excess of £3m already being mooted, but ideally, the Black Cats would like to convince the teenager and his agents that the ideal scenario for his development would be to remain on Wearside and gain experience within the club’s first-team squad.

Mowbray boasts a justified reputation for developing young talent – he played a key role in nurturing Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott during his time at Blackburn and has worked closely with the likes of Amad Diallo, Dan Neil and Ellis Simms this season – and will continue to give Rigg first-team opportunities if his career trajectory remains on its current track.