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Sunderland are entering a vital stretch of their Championship promotion push

Ex-Sunderland defender Darren Williams has expressed his concerns about fatigue creeping into the Black Cats’ squad over the latter stages of the season, highlighting Chris Rigg and Patrick Roberts as two players who have looked particularly “tired” of late.

Regis Le Bris’ side endured a difficult few days last week, losing consecutive matches against Leeds United and Hull City to leave themselves eight points adrift of the top two heading into the final 12 matches of the campaign.

Both Rigg and Roberts started both of those contests, with the pair having emerged as mainstays of Le Bris’ first XI since the Frenchman arrived at the Stadium of Light. For his part, Roberts has featured in 33 of Sunderland’s 34 league outings so far this term, starting on 28 occasions, while teenage sensation Rigg has made the same number of starts, as well as two further substitute appearances, in his first full season since signing a professional contract over the summer.

And as the rigours of a demanding push for promotion threaten to take their toll, Williams has suggested that Sunderland – and especially Rigg and Roberts – are looking notably leggier than they did earlier in the campaign.

Speaking on BBC Radio Newcastle’s Total Sport podcast, the former Black Cats star said: “There have been a few tired bodies on the pitch in the previous two or three games. I’m hopeful that we can turn it around because you can’t continue with tired legs on the pitch.

“I watched the game against Luton and Chris Rigg looked really tired. He’s a great player but you’re asking a lot of a young man to step on the pitch and compete week in and week out. Even Roberts at times. I can’t work out whether he’s tired or it’s just the way he goes about his game.”