The Sunderland head coach has praised Chris Rigg’s remarkable consistency for Sunderland this season

Régis Le Bris looks set to recall Chris Rigg to the Sunderland starting XI to face Middlesbrough on Monday.

The Black Cats return to Championship action at The Riverside in what is a huge game for both teams in the hunt for Championship promotion. Rigg was used as an impact substitute in Sunderland's last fixture against Plymouth Argyle, but Le Bris has delivered a glowing verdict on the 17-year-old as he prepares to face the time against whom he scored such an audacious goal

Rigg's absence against Plymouth and over the festive period when he suffered an ankle injury have, Le Bris believes, highlighted just how important he is to the Black Cats. The Sunderland head coach says he will now rotate more within games, however, to guard against fatigue and burnout both for Rigg and his team mates.

“He is really impressive," Le Bris said.

"For such a young player, he is so consistent. When we do the post-game analysis, you are trying to find the small details. With Chris, we understand that he is very talented with the ball, he can create many things and his left foot is very good but out of possession, he is just as important for the team. That is because he is very smart and also intense. Sometimes it is difficult to assess the importance of a player game after game. But when Chris is not on the pitch, it becomes clear. A few weeks ago, he struggled with an ankle injury and missed two or three games. We had to change the structure and at that moment, we could feel that the role he had was so well done. We could feel his lack of presence so yes, so far he is really impressive.

“It is clear we are better with him playing. But he has played so many full games and I repeat, if you want to compete with Leeds, Burnley and Sheffield United, we have to maintain our level at 100 per cent. And a young player, maybe even an older player, who plays all the minutes, they will get tired. So for the later stages of the season, it is probably better if we can play 65 minutes with one player and 35 with another. And if we have another game three days later, we can change that position. That would be the best way to manage our performance."

Though Sunderland have had some joy in a 4-4-2 of late, Le Bris seems certain to start with his favoured 4-3-3 tonight.

"We started with a 4-4-2 in zonal defence and a 4-3-3 in possession against a midblock, and this is our main option," Le Bris said.

"Sometimes we do need something else, because of injuries for example, or because of the scenario of the game and because the opposition requires something else. So we can use two strikers then. But I think for our identity, for the control of the game and the results of the games so far, our main option is a 4-3-3. This is still the case. We have built the squad for this system, when Alan [Browne] is fit we will have six strong central midfielders."

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