Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris gives his verdict on Chris Rigg.
HE might only have turned 17 in June, but Regis Le Bris feels Chris Rigg’s maturity and level-headed approach mean he does not need any special treatment as he continues to establish himself in Sunderland’s first team.
Having broken into the senior ranks last season, Rigg has made giant strides under Le Bris in the current campaign.
The teenager has started every game since coming on as a substitute on the opening weekend of the season, and opened his goalscoring account for the campaign when he produced a remarkable backheeled finish to settle Saturday’s Wear-Tees derby with Middlesbrough.
Plenty of managers would be keen to protect Rigg and limit his matchday minutes given his youthfulness and lack of senior experience.
Le Bris will not be pushing the midfielder too hard, but having been hugely impressed with the academy product’s attitude and consistency, the Black Cats boss sees no need to restrict his senior involvement.
Indeed, when he watches Rigg in matches and training, he sees a player who could easily have hundreds of senior matches under his belt rather than an inexperienced youngster starting out in his career.
“Does Chris Rigg need specific management? I don’t know about that,” said Le Bris, whose side return to action when they head to Watford on Saturday, “He’s very stable. He plays like a 30-year-old with that stability and emotional state. There are no problems at the minute, we’ll see.”
Le Bris has spent most of his coaching career working with young players. He spent more than five years working in the youth ranks at Rennes, where he led the Under-19s side to the national title, and worked as the head of youth development at Lorient for a decade before stepping up to lead the first team.
During his time at Lorient, he helped bring through the likes of future Leeds United goalkeeper Ilan Meslier and Matteo Guendouzi, who would go on to play for Arsenal and Marseille.
