'No reason' why Chris Rigg can't play more for Sunderland this season - Tony Mowbray

Tony Mowbray says 15-year-old Chris Rigg will continue to be involved at Sunderland - in the right circumstances.

Tony Mowbray says he sees no reason why Chris Rigg won’t be involved in Championship games this season for Sunderland, although he feels no need to rush him.

The 15-year-old has made three appearances this season, all of them in the FA Cup. In the first of those, at Shrewsbury, Rigg became Sunderland’s youngest ever outfield player.

It also means that two of Rigg’s appearances have come against Premier League Fulham, which would suggest Mowbray has no worries about his quality.

However, he is yet to play in the Championship this season, so can we expect to see that between now and the end of the season?

"I don't sit here in a rush to expose him to it," Mowbray said when asked about how much Rigg will be involved going forward.

"I do think he has qualities to help the team and if we feel it's right we'll do that, but I have to be mindful of the team and senior players.

"Chris is a young boy that we are blooding because we believe in him. If the circumstances are right there's no reason why he can't be on the bench and get on the pitch in a Championship game, but I probably would say I won't be leaving out a senior player to do that.

"We have a duty to try and give ourselves the best chance to win every game, within the rotation of the squad that we've got. Chris Rigg is basically a young boy with talent but it's a talent that needs to be nurtured. His time will come.

"Because of the type of player he is, if you go back to Shrewsbury I felt it was the right time to unleash him, a lad who runs everywhere and tackles anything, just gets after the game. I thought it was right to have that type of player on the pitch.

"What I'm trying to say is I won't be including him for the sake of including him. I don't need to do that.

“He has plenty of time and we'll keep picking the squad or teams that we feel can do the job on any given matchday, and if there's an opportunity for him to come along and be part of it then he'll do that."

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