Micheal Beale names the Sunderland player fans will see 'a lot more of' before the end of the season

Michael Beale has said that Chris Rigg is likely to feature far more heavily between now and the end of the campaign having been impressed with the youngster since his arrival on Wearside.

Rigg missed out on the squad that travelled to Middlesbrough on Sunday, instead playing 90 minutes in an FA Youth Cup defeat to Swindon Town on Friday night. But Rigg impressed Beale in a cameo against Stoke City a week previous, and is likely to return to the senior squad over the next week.

That was Rigg's first senior appearance since the win over Norwich City in September, though that is in part because he missed a number of weeks while involved in the U17 World Cup.

"I was pleased with Riggy when he came on against Stoke, Beale said.

"He obviously missed out at the weekend because he was involved with the FA Youth Cup, but I was very pleased with him. We don't want to talk about age because we believe in their talent, but for someone so young... he showed me that he wants to be involved, he doesn't just want a bit-part role. He wants to play. He doesn't want us to consider his age because he feels he's ready, but of course we take it into account. I think it was always going to be the second half of the season that you were going to see him more, but that depends on a lot of factors doesn't it. You always felt it would be that way but there's always fitness and form [to consider] as well. He came on and Stoke and contributed, he's got a no-fear mentality. He's a lefty and that gives you a really good balance in the team, too. That's really important to any possession-based team, like we are.

"It's very hard for a player of his age to be any further forward than he is," Beale added.

"I don't know exactly who he went away with for that World Cup but I'd be fairly sure that he's further forward at his club than many of those players, if not the furthest forward in terms of appearances and the fact that he is training with the first team every day. I like his mentality, it's the mentality of a young boy from the local area who is living his dream, and it's important that he keeps that because I think it could take him a long, long way. You can talk about the technique he's got, the passing, but I think that mentality is his super strength. With all young players, it's how long you can keep that. He can play a part now, if we play with two eights high or a flat three at times, he can give us real balance on the left of that."

Rigg has made eight appearances in the senior side this season across all competitions, scoring two goals. He is currently in the first year of his scholarship, though Sunderland hope he will sign a first professional contract when he turns 17 later this year.