'Diamonds' - Former Sunderland star excited by midfield duo

Ex Sunderland striker Don Goodman thinks Sunderland have two enormous midfield talents on their hands.

Jobe Bellingham - Sunderland midfield 'diamond' / IMAGO / Focus Images

Don Goodman says Sunderland have two midfield ‘diamonds’ on their hands in Chris Rigg and Jobe Bellingham, and they now have the perfect coach to polish them into top players.

Goodman, who was once Sunderland’s record signing and is now a Championship expert for Sky Sports, has watched with keen interest as Rigg, 17, and Jobe, 18, have emerged as first team regulars on Wearside.

Rigg is reportedly already attracting interest from Real Madrid, while Jobe has also been a wanted man all summer too.

Asked by the sportsbooks experts at Oddspedia where Rigg stands among the best ever young players to play in the Championship, Goodman exclusively told Sunderland Nation: “Very highly.

“He hadn't really had a regular run of games and he may well be at the start of that now and with that we'll see that confidence and self-belief grow, because we've all seen the quality that he possesses!

“Jobe Bellingham too – 18 years old! Sunderland have got two absolute diamonds and they've got a coach at the helm whose speciality is polishing young diamonds. So there's an awful lot of cause for optimism.

Both Rigg and Jobe signed new deals at Sunderland this summer, which is a clear sign they have confidence that Wearside is the best place for them to develop.

Interest was especially strong in Jobe, with Premier League Crystal Palace willing to part with a lot of money to land the teenager.

However, Goodman thinks Jobe was right to turn down the Eagles’ advances, and the fact he recognised that was a sign of real maturity.

“Yeah, I think it's a really mature decision and I think that he's from a family who has absolutely proven over the years from watching the development of his older brother, that they don't just follow the money or the glory,” Goodman said.

“They have a career path and they guide their boys to the destinations where they feel they'll flourish and develop the most. They did it with Jude by taking him from Birmingham City to Dortmund and how brave was that?

“And then ultimately having those two or three seasons in the Bundesliga developing, maturing, then he was ready for Real Madrid… by which time he was an England regular.

“So I do see the parents influence and the people that are around the family, as in I'm talking about both Jude and Jobe now; they both have their feet firmly on the ground.

“What's the point in Jobe Bellingham going to a club in the Premier League where he's going to sit on the bench and barely get any minutes at this stage of his career? It would have done him more harm than good.

“I think it's an acknowledgement that the family have realised that for Jobe at the minute, regular first team football at Championship level and developing is the best thing for him. I'm absolutely sure that he got to play way more games last season than he ever thought he would be playing – he played over 40 games, last year.

Some supporters actually felt Jobe was overplayed last season and suffered from fatigue as a result. Those arguments have perhaps been strengthen by how strongly he has started this season after a summer of rest.

There is also additional pressure from his surname too of course, and Goodman says playing in front of the Sunderland supporters, whilst brilliant, can also bring its own challenges too.

“When you play for Sunderland, speaking from personal experience, when you try and explain the passion of the supporters of Sunderland, it's almost impossible to put into words.

“Football up there is not just football, it's not a sport; it’s a way of life and it's a religion. You're born into that religion when you're born in Sunderland, you can't get away from it.

So with that comes a pressure and an expectancy, and then you chuck in the surname and the achievements of his older brother, and all of a sudden you've got an awful lot of pressure on very, very young shoulders.

“I for one think he's handled it fantastically well. I mean, think about the variety of positions that he's played in, he's played as a false nine, he's played as a ten, he's played as an eight. He's played in so many different positions and yet through all that sort of variety, he's still scored seven goals from midfield for Sunderland.

“He's 18, It's ridiculous, isn't it! It's a phenomenal effort really. What I saw from him when Sheffield Wednesday came to the Stadium of Light was a complete all-round, controlled, dynamic, brilliant midfield performer.”