Sunderland have been gifted an injury boost before they play Swansea City away from home in the Championship on Saturday afternoon.
The Lowdown: Blackpool pre-caution
Before Tuesday night’s 0-0 draw at home to Blackpool, Tony Mowbray claimed that Cirkin would be on the bench for the game, but in the end, he decided not to risk him in the matchday squad.
The defender has not featured since the 1-0 loss at North East rivals Middlesbrough in early September, and so will be hoping to make his comeback from injury sooner rather than later.
The Latest: Travelling
Speaking to the media in his pre-game press conference ahead of their match against Swansea, Mowbray has confirmed that after taking a pre-caution with him against Blackpool, Cirkin ‘will be travelling’ with the matchday squad this time:
“Dennis will be travelling with us, so we’ll make a decision on him.”
The Verdict: Big boost
Having Cirkin finally back with the squad will no doubt be a big boost for Mowbray and his side.
Before his injury, he had played in every minute of the Championship campaign, thus establishing himself as a key player in the team.
Cirkin has ranked highly among his teammates in terms of aerial duels won and average tackles, interceptions, clearances and blocks per match in the division so far (WhoScored), and so could make a huge difference against a Swansea side who have won four of their last four games in the league, and sit in sixth place in the table.