While Jude Bellingham is now competing among the best in European football for Real Madrid, Liverpool think they may have uncovered the next big English talent.
Following Sundarland’s sparkling start to the season in the Championship, their newest hot academy talent is the name on everyone’s lips.
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Midfielder Chris Rigg is just 17 years old and following several impressive cameo appearances, he has been dubbed the next big thing in English football.
According to GIVEMESPORT, the starlet is linked with Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City and hopes to help his Sunderland side mount a promotion charge to return to the Premier League after an eight-year hiatus.
Now in to his second professional season for the North East club, under the leadership of new manager Regis Le Bris, the 2007-born star has even come up on Real Madrid’s radar.
Scouts working for two European clubs described Rigg to HITC as 'the best young English player since Jude Bellingham'.
Featuring for the England u-18s team across the past few years, Rigg seems to be following a similar path to Liverpool superstar Trey Nyoni and is just biding his time before the right move pops up to a big club.
Liverpool his potential suitors?
Having had a history of producing successful young players under Jurgen Klopp, the Reds’ new coach Arne Slot's similar reputation could tempt Rigg to become the newest addition to Liverpool’s glittering stock of academy players.
While Trent Alexander-Arnold and Curtis Jones were homegrown talents who eventually embedded themselves into Liverpool’s senior team, both Harvey Elliott and Bobby Clark are players the club scouted heavily before they made the move and their development is already in full swing.
The club’s recent acquisition of Rio Ngumoha from Chelsea sent shockwaves across the Premier League after the London-based team failed to keep hold of him, and with Rigg already impressing at such a young age, he may be the next big talent to join Liverpool.
Despite the club’s best efforts, a transfer for Bellingham to Anfield was unsuccessful, but with Liverpool’s scouts already aware of Rigg's impressive qualities, the Reds may have learnt their lesson and we could be seeing a move for the Sunderland star in the near future.