Tony Mowbray sees youngster Chris Rigg as a fringe first-teamer after handing the 15-year-old his senior debut in Sunderland's FA Cup win at Shrewsbury Town.
Rigg came off the bench for the final nine minutes of the third round tie, becoming the club's youngest ever outfield player at the age of 15 years and 203 days - and the club's second youngest player overall, with only goalkeeper Derek Forster, who made his debut in 1964 at the age of 15 years and 185 days, ahead of him.
Academy product Rigg is very highly-rated by the Sunderland coaching staff and, while the teen is still at school, he is training with the club a couple of times a week and head coach Mowbray says from now on he will work with the first team. Mowbray says the step up to working with senior players is a 'sink or swim' moment - and he is convinced that Rigg will swim.
"He is still at school, so he gets day release to train with us once or twice a week," said Mowbray. "On those releases now, in my opinion, he will be training with us rather than with the U21s or U18s.
READ MORE: Sunderland looking to add central midfielder after letting Jay Matete leave on loan
"I think it'll progress him faster if he is training and feeling the competition of a first-team level training session. That's what comes back to me over the last 20 years, when young players come up and train with the first-team they all go: it's so fast!
"It's much faster than playing U18s football, and the senior players don't generally show too much respect to young kids because those kids are potentially going to take their places, and that makes it quite competitive in training. It's sink or swim, and I'm pretty sure this kid is going to swim."
Of Rigg's debut in the 2-1 win at the New Meadow, Mowbray added: "It's great for him. I didn't put him on [for any other reason than] he's talented.
"He doesn't train with us every day because he is at school, but when he does train he is tenacious, he wins tackles, he doesn't show too much respect for the other players, he hits the ball well with his left foot, he looks good when he is travelling with the ball. He got put on the pitch because he deserved to be put on the pitch.
"Of course we have a lot of injuries at the moment which gives him the opportunity - I'm not daft, if we had six or seven first-team players still available, he probably wouldn't have been there yesterday. But the chance came, and everybody needs an opportunity.
"It's fantastic for the kid that he's done so well and hopefully pushed himself onto the fringes of helping us in league matches, moving forward."
READ NEXT:
Sunderland's late turnaround in the FA Cup delivered the 'right result', insists Tony Mowbray
-
Patrick Roberts and Luke O'Nien star as Sunderland beat Shrewsbury in FA Cup third round
- Sunderland stage astonishing injury-time turnaround to beat Shrewsbury and reach FA Cup 4th round
-
Sunderland midfielder Jay Matete joins League One promotion chasers on loan
- Kristjaan Speakman confident Sunderland will keep hold of Amad until end of season
