Sunderland hope ‘wonderful’ gem will now want to stay after Michael Beale sacking

Sunderland are hopeful that Michael Beale’s exit will make one exciting starlet stay at the club.

Michael Beale was sacked at the start of the week after a horrendous two-month stint in charge.

The 43-year-old came under increasing pressure from fans and was very quickly disliked following strange comments in his press conferences, accompanied by the dull football that was on display.

It was clear that many players weren’t keen on Beale either, with one report claiming there was very little disappointment when the changing room found out about his exit.

There had been talk of Alex Pritchard’s discontent with Beale’s presence, having made his frustration known when he was substituted shortly before his permanent departure.

Another player who was seemingly unhappy under Beale was Chris Rigg, who hadn’t played in the Championship for almost three months when he made his cameo against Stoke City in January.

The teenager had remained a target for the likes of Liverpool and Newcastle United, while there was still concern that he could leave the club if his lack of minutes continued.

However, talkSPORT have now reported that Sunderland are hopeful he will commit his future to the Black Cats following Beale’s sacking.

Rigg turns 17 years old in June and will be able to sign his first professional contract with any club, meaning he could leave Sunderland for only a mere compensation fee.

The report claims he had become ‘disillusioned’ under Beale, but he is now expected to be given more playing time under Mike Dodds and could be tempted to stay at the Stadium of Light.

Will Chris Rigg be tempted into staying at Sunderland?

Sunderland have a brilliant track record of developing young players over the years, with the likes of Jordan Pickford and Jordan Henderson making it to the Premier League from our academy.