Sunderland teenage sensation Chris Rigg could become the youngest player in the club's history tomorrow. Rigg and fellow teenager Tom Watson are both in line to be included in the Sunderland squad for tomorrow night's Championship game against Birmingham City.
The highly-rated duo have been training with Tony Mowbray's first team and could be named in the matchday squad for the trip to St Andrew's. Mowbray has a number of fitness concerns heading into the game.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Mowbray was asked about injuries and said: “There are lots. Not that I can tell you about though."
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That has opened the door for a number of young players to potentially receive call-ups. Midfielder Rigg has attracted interest from a host of top-flight clubs after breaking on to the scene last season. Newcastle United are monitoring the 15-year-old who starred for Sunderland's successful U15s side, which lifted the national Floodlit Cup back in May.
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The schoolboy has yet to sign professional forms given his age, which has alerted a number of other clubs, including Everton. The central midfielder has been linked with a £2.5million move away from Sunderland next summer.
Rigg only turned 15 in June. Should he take to the pitch tomorrow night, he will become the youngest player in Sunderland's history, beating by 39 days the record of goalkeeper Derek Forster, who was only 15 years and 185 days old when he replaced Jimmy Montgomery in goal in 1964.
Watson, meanwhile, is 16 and has already emerged as a significant player for the Black Cats' U18s. He can operate on either flank or as a striker, and struck eight goals last term, the first coming when he was still just 15.
He also endeared himself to Sunderland followers with two goals in the derby against Newcastle back in January, including a 90th-minute winner.
Both Watson and Rigg, despite their tender years, have been regulars for Sunderland's second string in Premier League 2, but now appear to be on the verge of stepping into the first-team setup. At least one of them could feature on the bench against Birmingham on Thursday night.
Head coach Mowbray has a reputation for developing youngsters, and Sunderland's squad is one of the youngest in the Championship.
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