Sunderland midfielder Chris Rigg answers the Newcastle United question | OneFootball

An interesting interview with Sunderland midfielder Chris Rigg, a player who has regularly been linked to Newcastle United.

The young player originally scouted by the Mackems at the age of five when playing for Gateshead based Tyneside Pumas.

Chris Rigg making headlines when getting his first team debut for Sunderland at the age of 15.

The teenage midfielder hasn’t looked back, making 69 first team appearances and is now first choice for them.

As well as becoming a regular first team player, this has prompted regular claims of Chris Rigg signing for Newcastle United at some point in the future.

The media keen to keep running this story, to a backdrop of reports that Rigg comes from a family of Newcastle United fans, growing up in Gateshead.

Now in an interview with The Telegraph, Chris Rigg has now been asked and has answered the big question; ‘Is he a Newcastle fan playing for their biggest rivals?’

“The best decision I made was coming to Sunderland.

“For them to put me in the team at 15, I don’t think many would take that risk. It’s been so important for me. I could have signed for Premier League clubs and not played anywhere near the number of games.

“If you look at the England squad, virtually all of them have played in the EFL at some point, whether that was on loan or starting their career in the lower leagues. It’s sped up my progress undoubtedly.

“Sunderland are my club, I’ve been here my whole life. I come from a family of Newcastle fans, there is no point hiding that, but it changes when you play for Sunderland in front of those fans.

“My family being Newcastle fans has no impact on me, it doesn’t change the way I feel about Sunderland. The fans have been unbelievable. They could have thought, ‘Nah, he’s a Newcastle fan’ or whatever, but I think I’ve shown what this club means to me. It’s not really a debate.

“My dad gives me a little bit of stick, but he comes to all Sunderland’s games. I think he is a secret Mackem now. He puts his son above everything, he loves watching me and he absolutely loves coming to our games.”

I think Chris Rigg has answered that question as well as he could have done.

Managing that most awkward, near impossible, thing of not upsetting Newcastle United fans, or Sunderland supporters.

Chris Rigg confirming he was brought up in a family that all support Newcastle United BUT he is (currently…) playing for Sunderland and giving it 100% for them.

He comes over as very mature in the interview and obviously having been in a first team playing squad for a couple of years in the second tier, that has undoubtedly helped him grow up very quickly.

Whether Chris Rigg makes it or not at Premier League level remains to be seen. You never know until players make that giant leap from the Championship. Just look at Jack Clarke who was Sunderland’s best player and all the Mackems reckoned was a world beater, he didn’t get a kick as Newcastle hammered Sunderland in the FA Cup (Chris Rigg was an unused sub that day) last season and then joined Ipswich. They have been woeful this season and yet Clarke has only managed 11 Premier League starts and not scored a single goal.

You look at Lewis Miley who is 13 months older than Chris Rigg, he was thrown in the deep end last season when younger than Rigg is now, yet he somehow managed it so effortlessly, playing week in week out (and almost every midweek) in a long run of games in the Premier League, Champions League and domestic cups.

In the case of Chris Rigg, naturally his dad is going to be a fan of his son above all else.