View: Sunderland surely braced for Jan bids after wonderkid achieves another accolade
Sunderland’s 17-year-old wonderkid Chris Rigg was announced as the winner of the club’s September goal of the month.
The club revealed on their media channels (9 October) that Rigg’s ludicrous backheel-winning goal in the club’s 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough at the Stadium of Light on 21 September had seen him earn the accolade.
With the game broadcast live on Sky Sports, the goal certainly didn’t go unnoticed and with the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and Manchester United both linked with the talented midfielder in recent weeks according to Manchester Evening News, it may just boost that interest even further.
Rigg has been ever-present in the Sunderland side ever since making his debut as a 15-year-old in the cup against Shrewsbury Town but has kicked on massively this season and impressed on a regular basis.
Chris Rigg will go to the very top, with or without Sunderland
There’s a limited number of players who make first-team appearances at the age of 15 nowadays, let alone players who immediately look like a seasoned veteran at that age but Rigg certainly did.
His development since that day has been phenomenal and a joy to watch. Goals against Southampton last season, and Middlesbrough especially, really exposed to the world just how good of a footballer he already is at a such a young age.
The last time a 17-year-old showed this much in the Championship was when Jude Bellingham, brother of Jobe Bellingham, featured for Birmingham City before his big-money move to Dortmund. It’s fair to say that Jude’s career has certainly taken off since and it’s hard to see any other possible scenario for Rigg.
Sunderland will inevitably lose Rigg in the future. Clubs at the top of the footballing chain are more than capable of attracting such elite talent with their facilities and most importantly their finances so it’s vitally important to enjoy Rigg while he is here.
In other Sunderland news, one gem impressed massively for the Under-21s against Derby County.
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