Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris has backed teenage sensation Chris Rigg to overcome a recent dip in form.
The 17-year-old has seen his stock rise at an astronomical rate over the past 12 months having broken into the side from the club’s famed academy. He first made the headlines towards the end of last season, when he was being chased by a number of clubs prior to penning his first professional deal at the Stadium of Light.
The arrival of Le Bris has seen the midfielder nail down a regular starting berth this season, where he has been widely praised for his performances. This has seen him continued to be linked with the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, and it is expected that the Black Cats may have to field enquiries for the youngster this summer.
Despite that, Rigg is said to believe that his recent form has dipped below the levels he was producing in the early stages of the campaign. Indeed, he dropped to the bench for last weekend’s 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday, indicating that Le Bris may agree.
“Not Unusual” – Le Bris Sends Message Of Support
Barring a late season disaster, Sunderland are almost assured of a play-off place and a chance to earn a place in the Premier League for the first time since 2017. They currently sit fourth in the league table, 13 points above seventh-placed Bristol City.
Ahead of this afternoon’s clash with struggling Cardiff City, Le Bris has revealed that he has held talks with Rigg over his recent form and received his full backing. Speaking to The Northern Echo, the Frenchman said:
“This is really Chris Rigg’s first season. It is a new experience for him. It is not unusual for a player like that to struggle a little bit at this stage of the season, after 35 games.
“We spoke together last week. He said he wasn’t happy about his game level, but I said, ‘It is normal – you just have to adjust to this new experience’.
“As a club and as a staff, we have to create the right condition for him to be able to recover, then I am sure he will find his best level again.”
Writer’s View
It’s easy to forget that Chris Rigg is just 17-years-old taking into account the amount of headlines he has generated over the past few months. He’s talked about as if he is a player that has been in the professional game for several years, so it’s staggering that this is his first full season of first team football. As such, a dip in form is perfectly understandable. Le Bris has handled this situation excellently and Rigg will undoubtedly return to the levels he was achieving earlier on in the campaign. Taking him out of the firing line for a game or two is the smart thing to do.
