After playing a key role throughout pre-season so far, scoring twice in three appearances, can Chris Rigg really become a more regular feature in this Sunderland side?
On the 7th January of this year, Rigg made his first team debut against Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup at just 15 years old, since then the hype around him has been pretty high which was helped when he almost became the FA Cup’s youngest ever goalscorer against Fulham in the following round, only for it to be ruled out due to Abdoullah Ba straying offside. There was plenty of interest from Premier League sides, with the likes of Newcastle and Manchester United linked with him, but he wisely chose to stay on Wearside. That decision has worked brilliantly for the youngster so far, and a bright pre-season has led to some question over how big a role he could play.
Rigg played all three of his FA Cup appearances in the centre of midfield and it certainly seems his preferred and strongest position. However, Mowbray is stacked in that area with Pierre Ekwah, Dan Neil and Jobe Bellingham all ahead of him in the pecking order. The injury to Jay Matete could have helped his chances though, with the 22-year-old out till October with a knee injury he suffered after an awful tackle during the North Carolina game. Even with Matete out I cannot see it being easy for Rigg to make it into the side in that position, with an experienced and more physical midfield a must after last season. One thing I would suggest is that I can see a place for him a little bit higher up the pitch, and that would be playing in what has overtime become the ‘Pritchard’ role. He has operated in this role during pre-season and has impressed while there. With only really Alex Pritchard for competition in that position, it could give Mowbray something to think about when picking his team for Ipswich in just over a weeks’ time.
What we do know is that even if Rigg does not start on the opening day, he is a confident person, which was shown in his interview he did after the San Antonio friendly, he isn’t just here to make up the numbers, he is here to push for a position in Mowbray’s starting eleven.
