TONY MOWBRAY expects Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg to learn a lot from Bradley Dack this season – even though they could well find themselves competing with the 29-year-old for a place in Sunderland’s starting side.

Bellingham, who does not turn 18 until the end of next month, and Rigg, who only celebrated his 16th birthday in June, are two of the youngest midfielders in the Championship.

The pair are hugely exciting talents, but while Mowbray is hoping they will make major strides over the course of the next nine months, he is understandably reluctant to place too much pressure on their shoulders.

Part of the reason why he brought Dack to the club as a free agent last month is because he is convinced the former Blackburn midfielder will help nurture and develop the youngsters around him, with Bellingham and Rigg likely to be key figures in that group.

The trio will share game time in the ‘number ten’ position this season, with Mowbray hoping they will dovetail effectively once Dack gets his fitness up to speed following his summer switch from Ewood Park.

“Jobe has done well in pre-season, but I see a 17-year-old boy,” said the Sunderland boss, ahead of tomorrow’s Championship season-opener against Ipswich Town. “I see a 17-year-old boy with lots of personality and lots of opinions on football, and he’s very driven to try to create and carve out his own career.

“I’m pretty sure he’ll get there, but at this moment, in my mind, unless he over-excels, he’ll be sharing game time with Dack and Rigg. We will rotate around in that position, and I think we can afford to do it because of the players we’ve got there.

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“We’ve got a really exciting 17-year-old and a really exciting 16-year-old, and then we’ve got a lad in Dack who’s missed two years because of two cruciate injuries. I think the young ones will learn massively off Dack, and yet Dack won’t play 46 games for us. Neither will Jobe or Chris. We’ll roll them around and rotate them about, and see if we can get the best out of them as we go.”

Rigg was linked with a potential move away from Wearside at the start of the summer, but despite competing interest from Newcastle United and Manchester United, the teenager opted to sign new terms with the Black Cats.

He has been with the first-team squad throughout pre-season, and while Mowbray admits his performance levels have been somewhat up and down, he is set to be a much more prominent member of the senior group than was the case last season, when his outings were largely restricted to the early rounds of the FA Cup.

“Is he (Rigg) a full-time member of the first-team squad now? I guess that will depend on his performance level,” said Mowbray. “If his performance level is as it was at Hartlepool on Tuesday night, then he’s probably struggling to get in anywhere around it, but if he shows what he did in San Antonio, when he was running in behind and playing nice passes, then that’s a different story and he’s got every chance. Listen, that’s probably a bit harsh on him because he is a young boy. He’s got wonderful qualities.”

Bellingham is set to start tomorrow’s game against Ipswich in the attacking-midfield position, with Mowbray set to name the same side that kicked off last weekend’s friendly draw with Real Mallorca.

Luke O’Nien is available after being left out of the squad for Tuesday’s defeat at Hartlepool United because of a family issue, but Isaac Lihadji is no longer training at the Academy of Light and will not be considered for the game.

Lihadji is in advanced talks with Qatari side Al-Duhail, and is understood to have travelled to the Middle-East to tie up a transfer.

“Lihadji is not here,” confirmed Mowbray. “He’s not here, and he won’t be involved at the weekend.”


Sunderland (probable, 4-2-3-1): Patterson; Hume, O’Nien, Ballard, Cirkin; Neil, Ekwah; Roberts, Bellingham, Clarke; Hemir.