Man Utd eye 16-YEAR-OLD wonderkid compared to Bellingham and Henderson
Tom Weber
- Updated: 13 Sept 2023 18:19 BST
- 4 min read
Manchester United are monitoring 16-year-old Sunderland sensation Chris Rigg, according to a report.
The midfielder has been compared to Jordan Henderson in terms of his playing style, while also having several connections to Jude Bellingham. Besides playing with Bellingham's brother, Jobe, for the Black Cats, Rigg is also featuring - and not looking out of place - in senior football despite his tender years like the Real Madrid star before him.
Moreover, Rigg recently came close to breaking Bellingham's record of being one of the youngster-ever goalscorers in the EFL when he hit - at just 16 years and 76 days old - the final goal in his side's shocking 5-0 rout of relegated Southampton before the international break. He also previously became Sunderland's youngest-ever scorer when he netted against Crew Alexandra in the Carabao Cup.
OFFICIAL: Man Utd seal WORLD-RECORD deal
Rigg has been a household name among scouts for a while, but Sunderland have made sure to not throw him into the deep end too soon and to keep him grounded. It has borne fruit and the Black Cats may soon reap the rewards.
Chris Rigg. History maker.#SAFC | #CarabaoCup pic.twitter.com/g5qhX2HjuQ
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) August 9, 2023
Rigg a wanted man boy
That's because Man Utd and Newcastle are among the clubs monitoring the midfielder, according to journalist Ben Jacobs, who has claimed that Man Utd have a "concrete interest" in Rigg.
The youngster would be much cheaper than more established players and could perhaps move as early as January with the expectation being that he will be a Premier League footballer before his 18th birthday.
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Newcastle already tried to strike a £2.5 million deal last year, but Rigg remained at the Stadium of Light - despite hailing from a Magpies-supporting family.
Jacobs believes that the money required to land the teenager "wouldn't necessarily be a cut-price or bargain fee in any way, but we're in a market where virtually every talent is between £20m and £30m or significantly more in the case of players like Moises Caicedo. I don't think that Rigg would be anywhere near that."
