Man Utd could sign next Bellingham in January

Cameron Smith

• 24 Sep 2024 12:30 CDT
• 3 min read

Manchester United may reportedly push to sign Sunderland midfielder Chris Rigg during the January transfer window in order to fight off competition from Newcastle United.

Rigg, 17, is one of the most highly-rated youngsters in the English football pyramid and he has frequently been compared to Jude Bellingham since his breakout onto the senior stage.

Man Utd have been tracking Rigg’s development for the past few months, although multiple top clubs are also monitoring his progress at the Stadium of Light.

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In fact, Real Madrid were recently linked with a sensational move for the Sunderland teenager, while Newcastle are long-term admirers.

However, Man Utd are desperate to win the race for Rigg’s signature and they are ready to launch a January pursuit in order to complete a deal for the 17-year-old.

That is according to talkSPORT, who report that Rigg is seen as the perfect player for Man Utd’s new youth revolution under INEOS’ reign.

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Chris Rigg at Sunderland

Rigg became Sunderland’s second-youngest player of all time when he made his senior debut against Shrewsbury Town at just 15 years and 203 days old.

Later that year, Rigg became Sunderland’s youngest-ever goalscorer when he netted versus Crewe Alexandra in the Carabao Cup, becoming the youngest player to score in the competition’s history in the process.

After Rigg’s match-winning goal against Middlesbrough, he was showered with praise by new Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris.

“Chris Rigg is a good symbol of what we want to create and what we want to build as a team and as a club,” the Frenchman said.

“"I don’t think age is a problem. You can have a high level of maturity at 17 and you can have a low level of maturity at 30.

“It depends on the player’s personality. Chris still wants to improve, he still wants to understand the game.

“Chris has this character, this personality to play whatever the circumstances so I like that. He is also a very good team-mate so he is a very good symbol for us.”