Manchester United’s effort into improving their youth system which had fallen behind the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City has started paying off.
The likes of Alejandro Garnacho and Willy Kambwala, signed from European teams before Brexit, have already given the club a huge return on investment.
Add to that the aggressive scouting locally, which has netted them exciting talents like Kobbie Mainoo, Shea Lacey, Amir Ibragimov, and more, the youth revolution has been a resounding success.
The club was hoping to add to that exciting core with one of England’s most promising upcoming players but that looks difficult now, at least for the foreseeable future.
Chris Rigg signs new Sunderland contract
Chris Rigg has long been touted as one of England’s premier midfield talents, with United having an eye on him for nearly two years now.
The club was reportedly readying a formal offer for the soon-to-be 18-year-old prodigy but he has put an end to immediate speculation by signing fresh terms at Sunderland, as Fabrizio Romano reported.
However, this may only postpone United’s interest to be revisited later, instead of pulling out of the race altogether.
Ultimately, Rigg is far too good to stay at Sunderland long-term even if they get unexpectedly promoted from the Championship as soon as next season.
United will need to learn from their Jude Bellingham mistake to avoid the same happening with Rigg.
Lay the groundwork and steal a march
It goes without saying that if, or when, Chris Rigg becomes available for a move, United won’t be the only club with an eye on him.
Before this contract renewal, he was already targeted by not just clubs in England, but Germany and beyond.
Therefore, United need to lay the groundwork for a move well in advance and steal a march on their rivals.
Be it through maintaining some form of informal communication with the player, giving him continuous clarity on their intentions, or shaping their squad for his future arrival, they need to be thorough.
The club infamously lost out on Jude Bellingham not once, but twice, after other clubs managed to convince him of their project while United failed to do so.
While they always faced an uphill battle competing against Real Madrid when he was leaving Dortmund, their efforts were in vain when he was leaving Birmingham too.
An environment of stability and a clear pathway made the Bundesliga team his preferred choice, something which can’t be repeated with Rigg, especially as United finally have a settled football structure in place.
Therefore, this new contract for Rigg should only be delaying the inevitable and a lot of effort needs to go into it so that it remains inevitable.
