Rigg was one of the Black Cats’ star performers at the weekend as they beat Wolves 2-0 at the Stadium of Light to climb back up to seventh in the table.
The 18-year-old academy product had to bide his time for a chance to prove himself in the top-flight as he did not start any of the opening four league games of the season.
He has started three of the four since, though, and admits he still has to pinch himself at the thought of playing for the club he has represented since his primary-school days on the biggest stage in world football.
“I think it’s every boy’s dream to be a Premier League player,” said Rigg, who made his Sunderland debut as a 15-year-old under Tony Mowbray. “But it’s not just to be a Premier League player, it’s to be a player that's grew up in this city, this town and to know what it means for the fans.
“On the pitch, I give it my all for the fans. And yeah, I’m just so proud to finally call myself a Premier League player.”
Having played for England at every representative level from Under-15s to Under-19s, Rigg has long been earmarked for the top. Still, though, there is a world of difference between starring in League One or the Championship and coping with the demands of life as a Premier League player.
Rigg has always had confidence in his own ability, but he admits there was an element of stepping into the unknown about moving into the top-flight.
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Eight games in though, and like the rest of his team-mates, Rigg increasingly feels at home. His side are sitting in seventh position in the table, their four home matches have resulted in three wins and a draw, and on a personal level, the teenager has done more than enough to prove he can handle himself against Premier League opposition.
“I’ve definitely got the qualities to be a Premier League player,” said Rigg. “Obviously, I’ve still got so much to learn, as you can see, and the team’s got so much to learn too.
“We’re still gelling, there’s still a lot of new players that need to gel together, but I think we’re on the right path.”
Rigg chose to stay on that path when he could have moved elsewhere. Prior to signing his first professional contract in the summer of 2024, the North-Easterner was inundated with offers. Manchester United wanted him. So did Newcastle, just up the road.
He chose to stay with Sunderland, though, and recommitted his future to the club when he signed a new, improved deal this summer that runs to the summer of 2030. Rigg always sensed something special was brewing on Wearside. His judgement has proved to be correct.
“I can’t get too much on a high because there’s always something around the corner, but I was absolutely buzzing to commit my future here,” he said. “There was no choice there, I was always going to do that, because I know what this club means, their ambitions, and you can see it on the pitch. So yeah, I’m just buzzing about it all.”
Rigg got his chance this season when Habib Diarra was injured, and has slipped seamlessly into a midfield unit that has been a core part of Sunderland’s strength.
He has struck up an immediate relationship with summer signings Granit Xhaka and Noah Sadiki, with the trio uniting to great effect in both attack and defence.
“It’s so good to be in a team that you know everyone's got their backs,” said Rigg. “For example, if someone lost the ball, I’d know I’d work for them.
“And then the opposite too. If I lost the ball, they’d work for me. I’m just buzzing to be a part of this team, and so proud of the team as well.”
So, given things have started so successfully, have ambitions already begun to shift? At the start of the season, survival was the one and only aim? Now, with almost a quarter of the campaign gone, are Sunderland setting their sights higher?
“I’ve been a football fan, so as a fan, I would dream,” said Rigg. “Because the team are doing so well and hopefully it can only get better.
“But personally, I don’t think like that. I just look for the next game, because you’re only as good as your last game.
“At times [against Wolves], there was a bit of sloppiness from myself and from my team-mates, but that digging in, grittiness and working hard together got us through the game.”