'Outstanding' - EFL pundit heaps praise on 'eye-catching' Sunderland star

Former Championship striker Sam Parkin has claimed that Sunderland full-back Dennis Cirkin has been one of the division’s “outstanding players” so far this season.

The 22-year-old has played every minute of the Black Cats’ opening nine fixtures, scoring one goal and assisting another as his side clambered their way to the top of the table heading into the second international break of the campaign. And while the likes of teenage sensations Chris Rigg and Jobe Bellingham have made plenty of headlines for their eye-catching displays, it is Cirkin who has been singled out for praise by Parkin. Speaking on the Championship Check-In podcast, the pundit said: “I think he has been one of the most outstanding players in the division this season.

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“When you watch him live, he is a very good athlete. I think he gets up and down; it is eye-catching the way he moves with the ball, but his decision-making on the ball and his ability on the ball have been top-class this season.”

Cirkin was plagued by injury last season, and only registered eight appearances across the entirety of the campaign. Already he has comfortably eclipsed the 503 minutes he racked up in 2023/24, and to that end, the defender is taking a grounded approach to his newfound fitness.

Speaking earlier in the season, he said: “Last year I learned, I learned a lot and I just wanted to come into this season having a clear mind and having a good summer where I just took the time off and, you know, come back in and really, really want to make, yeah, really want to make a good start this season and just enjoy it, to be honest. That's all I can do.

“I think in the previous season when I did start, and I mentioned it earlier as well, the 5-0 against Southampton, I was flying, but I think it's really important that we keep it going through the winter when it's around Christmas time. We've got a lot of games and the night games, but keep level-headed and just keep working. I think that's the most important thing.”