Sunderland go into this weekend’s set of Championship fixtures full to the brim with confidence, as an away trip to Queens Park Rangers awaits the table-topping Black Cats.
Of course, Regis Le Bris will have to guard against complacency seeping in, but if the Wearside outfit were to collect another early season victory this Saturday, it would be their tenth league win from 13 games.
Le Bris will know his team will have to keep firing on all cylinders in every department to keep this stellar run of form going, with 17-year-old Chris Rigg one huge presence in the middle of the park for Sunderland so far this campaign.
Rigg's form this season
Sunderland fans will be understandably excited about the teenager’s bright future in the game based off his electric performances in the second tier at the moment, with the homegrown gem not taken aback whatsoever by playing week in week out, despite his wide-eyed demeanour.
Away from any talk of his tender age, Rigg is letting his football do the talking at the moment, with three goals fired home from 12 first team appearances this season so far, including the crucial opener against Luton Town last time out on the road.
Also scoring this strike against Leeds United earlier in the month, in front of his adoring Stadium of Light masses, Rigg seems to just have the world at his feet at the moment with no pressure getting to him.
It will all be about managing the 17-year-old appropriately, however, so he doesn’t burn out as the gruelling season progresses, with a worry in the air too that a bigger fish could swoop in and steal him away from Sunderland shortly.
Sunderland will know all too well what happens when a promising youngster doesn’t quite reach the heights expected of them, with this raw and direct midfield gem arguably the club’s original Rigg when he burst onto the scene back in 2013.
Sunderland's original Rigg
Duncan Watmore is now a forgotten name somewhat to Wearside locals, with the diminutive attacker now on the books of Millwall after his long stay at Sunderland unfortunately fizzled out.
Picked up from non-league Altrincham, after scoring goals by the bucket load for the Greater Manchester side, Watmore would be fast-tracked to the glitz and glamour of the Premier League a couple of seasons into his time at the club, having made quite the impression in the U23 ranks.
Watmore would help himself to a mightily impressive 20 goals and eight assists from 37 games lining up for the U23s, leading to his moment in the spotlight in the men’s team finally coming about during the 2015/16 season.
Much like Rigg is showing in the here and now, the energetic winger would take that opportunity with both hands when plunged into the deep end of the first team, firing home three goals from 23 clashes in the top-flight as the Black Cats just narrowly avoided the relegation spaces by two points.
Yet, although Watmore was a joy to watch at the peak of his powers in the senior mix as a gung-ho style attacker, injury issues would soon begin to be the Sunderland number 14’s undoing.
Serious injury layoffs would see Watmore miss countless games for his side campaign after campaign, with the Manchester-born winger fit for just six Championship games during the 2017/18 season, as the Black Cats attacker and his club continually cursed their bad luck.
Injury type
Season
Days spent out injured
Ankle injury
18/19
74 days
Knee injury
17/18
372 days
Knee injury
16/17
286 days
Ankle injury
15/16
69 days
In total, Watmore would miss 801 days of action for Sunderland as a result of finding himself going in and out of the Stadium of Light treatment room regularly, leading to the winger being released in 2020 during Phil Parkinson’s time in charge.
He has since shone for Millwall, with an impressive tally of five goals from 13 games this season, but the 30-year-old must now look back on his bright beginnings at Sunderland with some annoyance, knowing the difficulties he would go on to face.
Sunderland will just pray the same doesn’t happen to Rigg, in terms of injury issues popping up, as the teenage ace looks to take his side back up to the Premier League.
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