Alex Ackerley has handed 15-year-old Chris Rigg his competitive debut for Sunderland-U21s this afternoon. The Black Cats named a young side to take on Norwich City in the Premier League 2 Division 2 opener.
Harrison Sohna takes the armband at the Lotus Training Centre this afternoon, with a number of U21 regulars absent from the squad having spent the last fortnight on tour in Canada. Caden Kelly, Michael Spellman and Harrison Bond all start this afternoon having played for the Black Cats last season.
However, all eyes will be on Rigg after a sensational campaign with Sunderland's Under 15s last season, scoring a stunning goal as the Black Cats went on to lift the Floodlit Cup last season. The 15-year-old is understood to be on the radar of a number of Premier League clubs, including arch-rivals Newcastle United.
READ MORE: Norwich City U21s vs Sunderland U21s LIVE
Norwich City U21s XI: Mair, Campbell, Warner, Shipley, Riley, Brooke, Watt, Stewart, Dickson-Peters, Omotoye, Kamara
Subs: Aziaya, Duffy, Matos, Coker, Aboh.
Sunderland U21s XI : Bond, Burke, Sekete, Fieldson, Jones, Sohna, Moore, Rigg, Kelly, Spellman, Ryder
Subs: Cameron, Beattie, Cain, Mitchell, Obolo
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