Sunderland AFC: Regis Le Bris urged to make Chris Rigg call amid Alan Browne factor | OneFootball

FLW's Sunderland fan pundit believes Chris Rigg needs to be rested.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Chris Rigg has featured regularly for Sunderland in the Championship this season.

The 17-year-old has made 30 appearances in the second tier during the 2024/25 campaign so far, with Regis Le Bris trusting the youngster to be a key player in midfield for the Black Cats.

Rigg has scored four league goals during Sunderland's promotion push this term, all of which have contributed to his side picking up points against Middlesbrough, Leeds United, Luton Town and Blackburn Rovers.

His performances have seen him be linked with some of the biggest clubs in Europe this season, with Manchester United and Inter Milan just two of the clubs that are said to be admirers.

However, given the fact that he is still a teenager, he may need to be rested at some point in the next few weeks to ensure that he will be at his best during the run-in, as Sunderland look to win promotion back to the Premier League.

Rigg needs a rest amid Sunderland promotion push

We asked our Sunderland fan pundit, Jordan Newcombe, whether he feels as though Rigg would benefit from a rest, especially with the likes of Alan Browne being available.

"Regarding Rigg, we obviously now know that Le Fee is out for around six to eight weeks, according to what I've been told and seen on social media," said Jordan.

"That is a massive shame for us, but at least there are positives with Mundle and Watson being back, which means the left-hand side is complete again.

"Their returns will also give time for Rigg to have a rest, which is fully deserved. He needs a rest.

"His age doesn't help as he is still a young player and is playing week in week out, so obviously he is going to get tired a lot quicker if he keeps playing each game, especially in that attacking midfield role where he has to go up and then get back at times.

"If he has a rest, it provides an opportunity for Browne, Aleksic and Samed to come in, and we can then move forward, making tweaks here and there when necessary.

"I am glad we have Browne back in the squad as I really rate him quite highly. He is a decent player, so we can give Rigg a rest and bring him in. Despite the injuries, we have got more players coming back than we have lost.

"We should have enough players back fit to beat the likes of Sheffield Wednesday and some of the smaller clubs who you wouldn't want to underestimate."

Sunderland are without Enzo Le Fee

Sunderland's promotion hopes have been dealt a few blows in recent days, with Hull City having earned a 1-0 win at the Stadium of Light at the weekend, before it was revealed that Enzo Le Fee and Daniel Ballard are both set for spells on the sidelines with injuries they picked up against the Tigers.

The injury to Le Fee is expected to rule him out for around six weeks, which could mean that Rigg does not get as much of a rest as he may otherwise have been given, as Le Bris will likely want his creativity in midfield.

It will be interesting to see whether Rigg is given some time out of the starting lineup in the next few weeks, as it could definitely help him get back to his best ahead of the final weeks of the season, when Sunderland will be looking to gain momentum going into the play-offs.