Sunderland were beaten 1-0 by Brighton on Saturday

Régis Le Bris praised Chris Rigg for taking his opportunity to impress despite Sunderland's 1-0 defeat to Brighton at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon.

Injuries to Enzo Le Fée and Nilson Angulo meant that Rigg made his first Premier League start since the 3-0 defeat to Brentford in early January, and the midfielder was unlucky to see a goal ruled out for offside early in the second half. Rigg beat Bart Verbruggen on his weaker right foot but the goal was ruled out by VAR as Omar Alderete was offside when he headed a free kick into his path.

Brighton took the lead minutes later when Yankuba Minteh's mishit cross flew past Melker Ellborg, meaning the Black Cats now having lost their three home league games. Rigg's performance was a big positive on an otherwise disappointing day and Le Bris said he was an example of what the club is building in the long run.

"I'm really pleased because I repeat he's a good example for what we are doing here in the club," Le Bris said.

"We believe in young players. He's from Sunderland and he's a great example. He had an opportunity early in the season against Aston Villa, that was bad memories for him [because he was subbed off after the red card] and after that he struggled during the festive period and it was tough - but he accepted the situation and kept pushing and wanted to learn and show every day during the training session that he can be a better player. Today, he showed.

"He still needs to improve the end product, for a winger or offensive player, the final third is really important, the hardest to develop, but he's in a good place and I'm happy for him. He's versatile, which is good. He can play as a No.8, No.10 probably, right winger, because he's always committed. He works hard. Sometimes maybe because he works so hard he can lack some energy to be more clinical, but for a young player his mindset is excellent."

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Régis Le Bris delivers verdict on Sunderland’s attacking struggles

Sunderland struggled to create chances after falling behind in the second half, but Le Bris believes his players deserve support amid the club's extensive injury list.

"The group is small," Le Bris said.

"We have many injuries. It's a young squad, new in the Premier League. We reached 40 points last week. It was a brilliant game at Leeds. It gives the opportunity for the young lads to experience the Premier League. I think their character and resilience was good today, but they need to learn.

"They need to experience different situations to get better. At the moment, it's really important to support them because Chris Rigg is a good example. He's 18 and he's learning. If you compare the way he played at the beginning of the season and now, you can feel that he's learning, he's improving and he needs support and time for that.

"We have to keep going. We are working hard with the players and it's not only about individuals. It's about the collective behaviours. We want to set the right standards. We probably need to cross more, shoot more, we need to counter press a bit more for the second phases. After that it's a question of confidence, sometimes a click can change the dynamic."

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