Dennis Cirkin compared to Sunderland rivals amid uncertain future
How do Dennis Cirkin's numbers hold up against his Sunderland full-back rivals?
Dennis Cirkin’s Sunderland future now looks incredibly uncertain following Regis Le Bris’ latest comments.
Despite playing a major role in the Black Cats’ promotion last season, Cirkin has had to be incredibly patient when waiting for chances this campaign, clocking just 302 Premier League minutes across seven appearances, with a further two outings in domestic cup competitions. Cirkin’s contract is up this summer, and while in an ideal world, Sunderland would keep hold of him as low-cost cover at left-back, the player himself will surely want to enhance his first-team chances. SAFC boss Le Bris labelled Cirkin as a ‘fourth’ choice full-back during his midweek press conference, with right-footer Trai Hume coming off the bench in his position against Aston Villa at the weekend.
Is this harsh treatment of Cirkin, or is it time that the former England youth international - who is also eligible to represent Latvia - moved on? Check out the table below to see his Premier League stats compared to the other players who have featured at full-back for Sunderland this season.
How does Dennis Cirkin compare to his Sunderland rivals?
| Stat (per 90) | Dennis Cirkin | Reinildo Mandava | Trai Hume | Lutsharel Geertruida | Nordi Mukiele |
| Tackles | 2.38 | 1.76 | 2.1 | 2.16 | 2.39 |
| Interceptions | 1.49 | 1.42 | 0.76 | 1.02 | 1.31 |
| Clearances | 3.58 | 3.75 | 3.06 | 2.73 | 5.16 |
| Chances created | 0 | 0.28 | 0.69 | 0.45 | 0.81 |
| Take-ons attempted/completed | 1.19/0.89 | 1.42/0.8 | 0.52/0.1 | 0.64/0.38 | 0.69/0.27 |
| Crosses completed | 0.3 | 0.23 | 0.41 | 0.13 | 0.5 |
| Passes completed | 21.75 | 31.12 | 22.59 | 32.95 | 28.54 |
| Touches | 48.87 | 57.86 | 51.33 | 52.98 | 64.12 |
| Clean sheets contributed to (total) | 1 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 7 |
Nordi Mukiele has been the standout full-back for Sunderland this season, while Lutsharel Geertruida also posts impressive passing numbers. However, it’s important to remember the former has regularly featured at centre-back this season, while the latter has played at the heart of defence and in midfield.
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Cirkin comes out ahead of his teammates for interceptions and take-ons completed per 90 minutes, while he competes well with the likes of Reinildo Mandava and Hume in categories where he isn’t the leader. The sample size for Cirkin is significantly smaller, but the 24-year-old has still proven he can offer reliability for Le Bris when called upon.