Kevin Phillips claims he has discussed signing Will Grigg in the past

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Sunderland striker Will Grigg has been backed by Kevin Phillips.

Sunderland hero Kevin Phillips has told The Chronicle that he thinks Will Grigg will get the club promoted – and revealed he’s been a part of targeting him in the past.

The Black Cats drew with Blackpool on Tuesday night as Jack Baldwin rescued a point, but much of the discussion came from Grigg’s performance.

Grigg had one effort saved by Mark Howard in the first half, but in the second period, he rounded Howard when through on goal, and had an open net to tap into.

However, Grigg contrived to put the ball wide, with many baffled at just how he managed to miss the target and miss out on a first Sunderland goal.

Signed from Wigan Athletic on deadline day last month, Sunderland paid £4million for Grigg according to BBC, believing that the Northern Ireland international could fire them back to the Championship.

Grigg’s League One record suggests that he will find the net regularly between now and the end of the season, and after his miss against Blackpool, he has been backed by Sunderland hero Phillips.

Phillips has suggested that he still thinks Grigg will score the goals to get Sunderland back up again, has no worries that he will be a success.

Phillips, a former coach with Leicester City, Derby County and Stoke City, even revealed that he has been a part of previous discussions to sign Grigg in recent times.

“Losing the top goalscorer Josh Maja was a big blow but they’ve managed to bring Will Grigg in who, certainly at League One level, is a very good player,” said Phillips. “Once he gets going I believe he will score the goals that will get them promoted. He’s just got to score as many as he can and he will make himself a hero. He’s got a big job to do and a lot of pressure on his shoulders. But I’ve watched him over the years and at a few clubs I’ve been at we’ve talked about maybe bringing him in.”

“He’s got energy, he knows where the back of the net is and he’s a real handful. I’m confident he will get chances at Sunderland to score plenty too. I’ve no worries that he will eventually start scoring goals, the big thing is just getting that first goal. You just need that weight off your shoulders. I’d love to see him do it on Friday while I am there. That would be fantastic,” he added.