Chris Rigg has called his Sunderland teammate ‘a joke’ after his recent heroics.
Chris Rigg has proven to be Sunderland’s latest success to emerge from the academy, following the likes of Anthony Patterson and Dan Neil.
Despite only turning 16 years old last summer, the midfielder had already been promoted to the U21 side during the 2022-23 campaign.
He went onto make his debut at 15 years old in January 2023 and has now established himself as a regular in the starting line-up.
While Rigg appears to be a level above all the other U21 stars that he left behind, there is still some very exciting prospects in the academy.
While Tommy Watson has beentipped to make his mark on the senior squad next term, Ellis Taylor’s time on Wearside will come to an end soon after he was released by the club.
The 21-year-old has eleven goal contributions in only 15 matches for the U21s this season, despite starting most of those matches from full-back.
Despite his form, the Black Cats won’t be extending his contract this summer.
He gave an immediate reaction to the news earlier this week, netting a hat-trick in the PL2 play-off semi-final against Reading.
Ellis Taylor hailed as ‘a joke’ after hat-trick
Taylor was hailed as ‘unbelievable’ for his performance and later received high praise from his teammates for his heroics.
Rigg, who was a regular for the U21s in the first half of the season, took to Instagram to show his support for the versatile defender.
He wrote: “You’re a joke mate @ellistaylor_.”
Rigg wasn’t the only player to respond to Taylor either, with Corry Evans calling him ‘class’, Middlesbrough’s Luke Woolston writing ‘special player’ and Michael Spellman calling him the ‘goat’.
The growth of Sunderland’s academy
Ellis Taylor’s exit will be heartbreaking for both him, his teammates and the club, as it is quite clear that he has bags of talent.
His hat-trick against Reading will undoubtedly earn him plenty of interest, while Taylor will be eager to show Sunderland what they have missed out on if he can pick up regular football next term.
Sunderland U21s’ progress to the play-off final is huge for the club and shows just how far they have come, having finished towards the bottom of Division 2 this time last year.
They still have plenty of talent to force their way into the senior team, with Tommy Watson looking the most promising.
Oli Bainbridge has also been a hit for the U21s,attracting interest from Everton this year.
The future of Sunderland looks bright and it has done for a while now, but it is the present that concerns fans.