Fighting for Sunderland 'means a lot' to Chris Rigg

Michael Beale has been explaining why 16-year-old Chris Rigg is a 'huge asset' to his Sunderland squad.

Michael Beale says he has total trust in Chris Rigg because of his ‘fantastic’ mentality that gives him a desire to compete incredibly hard for Sunderland.

The 16-year-old impressed once again from the bench against Plymouth, coming on and providing some real extra bite into the Sunderland midfield.

That is aligned with an exceptional technique and natural talent and, for Beale, that makes him a ‘huge asset’ in the squad.

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“I think his mentality is a big strength,” Beale said of Rigg. “That’s not to down-talk his technique or his tactical awareness.

“But he’s a boy from this part of the world and I think it means a lot to him and his mentality at the moment to be 16 and be fearless and going and playing against midfielders that are maybe sometimes double his age is fantastic.

“I actually put him and Jobe on at the weekend because I wanted us to win more duels in midfield – I felt it was a crucial moment of the game at 2-1.

“So when you think you’re putting a 16-year-old on in a Championship game to win duels you must have a faith and a trust in his mentality and that’s a huge asset.”

Beale is not the first Sunderland head coach to speak glowingly of Rigg from a mentality point of view.

In fact, Tony Mowbray compared him to Roy Keane, which is about as big a compliment as you can give a midfield player in the English game.

"He is this warrior-like character, a personality and internal mechanism," Mowbray said of Rigg in November.

"He wants to win every tackle, every 5-a-side, every contest he's in, which is pretty unique in a footballer.

"I shouldn't really say it, but it's that Roy Keane-esque type of 'nastiness'. He's a nice kid, but not so much of a nice kid when he's got his boots on and is on the pitch."

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