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Published February 6, 2025 5:35pm Updated February 6, 2025 5:36pm
Chris Rigg continues to attract plenty of attention thanks to his performances for Sunderland, with Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Crystal Palace all reportedly interested.
The 17-year-old has already racked up plenty of experience with the Black Cats having made his professional debut un January 2023 at just 15.
The midfielder made 21 Championship appearances last season, although most of those were from the substitutes’ bench, but this campaign he has been a regular in the starting XI.
24 of his 26 league appearances have been from the start, yielding four goals, as Sunderland push for promotion to the Premier League.
That bid for promotion was boosted on Monday night when the Mackems beat Middlesborough 3-2 at the Riverside.
The Sun reports that Manchester United scouts were in attendance to continue to track the progress of Rigg, who they have been credited with an interest in for some months already.
The report states that there is plenty of interest in the teenager from the Premier League, while Real Madrid have even been touted as a possible destination for the youngster from Hebburn.
Rigg, who has been capped up to Under-18 level by England, is under contract at the Stadium of Light until 2027.
The Black Cats are fourth in the Championship, just three points off an automatic promotion spot, so have every chance of a return to the Premier League this season.
It may be that they need to achieve promotion to keep hold of their young star, but if not they will be able to cash in on their academy product.
Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris has praised the teenager for maturity well beyond his years, telling Sky Sports earlier this season: ‘I don’t know how he has that maturity, some players don’t have that at 30.
‘He wants to learn and has the personality to play in front of this crowd.
‘I don’t think that age is a problem. You can have a high level of maturity at 17 and you can have a low level of maturity at 30, so it depends on the personality of the player and Chris Rigg is a good symbol of what we want to create and what we want to build as a team, as a club.
‘He still wants to improve, he still wants to understand the game and if we can share all these ideas, at the end we can feel the energy as a group, as a unit, as a team even against a strong opponent.’
