The Sunderland teenager has been speaking about Jobe Bellingham

Sunderland midfielder Chris Rigg has admitted that he is sometimes left “star-struck” by teammate Jobe Bellingham’s natural ability.

The teenage duo were both recognised at the North East Football Writers Association Awards on Sunday evening, sharing the Young Player of the Year accolade after a meteoric 12 months that has seen them establish themselves not only as key players for Sunderland, but also as reported transfer targets for a number of Premier League and European heavyweights.

And in a speech for the event, Rigg expressed his delight at winning the award, as well as his admiration for a number of his colleagues. He said: “It's always good to get noticed for your accomplishments over the season. It is a prestigious award, so I am very happy and I'm also happy to win it alongside a fellow team mate as well.”

When asked about Sunderland’s willingness to trust in youth, he said: “It's great. Honestly, you've seen it through the years. There are loads of come-ups such as Dan [Neil], Patto [Anthony Patterson] and obviously us two next. I think it says a lot about the club and where we want to go.”

Turning his attention to Bellingham specifically, he continued: “He's been unreal, to be honest. I think he's improved so much over the last couple of years. Sometimes you get star-struck by him, just the things he does week in, week out, day in, day out. I think if he does maximise how good he is day in, day out, then he can go right to the very top.”

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On the topic of his emergence as a first team talent at the Stadium of Light, Rigg said: “It's hard to reflect because there's always another game in the Championship. I think you've just got to push it to one side and try and hit the next target. The lads have helped us reach this target and mainly helped us win this award, due to them being very supportive as soon as I came up, and there's a few names I could name - like I said, Dan, Luke O’Nien - but the staff have played a big part in it as well. I'd like to thank everyone, to be honest, and hopefully we can kick on.”

When quizzed on the need for Sunderland to finish the season on a strong note as they push for promotion back to the Premier League, the starlet concluded: “I think we are so confident that we can get in that race. I know that we've hit a patch, but I think the team that we've got, we want to win every game. I think that's crucial coming towards the back end of the season. I think we've just got to put it all out there and see what we can do.”

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