Sunderland confirm frustrating Dennis Cirkin news pre-Ipswich Town | OneFootball

Dennis Cirkin has suffered another significant setback in his recovery from hamstring injury.

The Sunderland defender has only featured eight times in the Championship this season, having struggled for fitness.

His last appearance came at the start of November in a 0-0 draw away to Swansea City, in which he managed 15 minutes from the bench.

Cirkin had returned to training last month after suffering a hamstring issue, but he was sent for further scans after reporting of discomfort.

The England underage international is set to miss up to 12 weeks of action after undergoing surgery to help solve the issue.

Sunderland provide Cirkin update

Sunderland have confirmed on their official website that he has started his rehabilitation programme, which will take up to 12 weeks at a minimum.

This has threatened Cirkin’s availability for the rest of the campaign, with the speed of his recovery likely to determine whether he features again before next season.

This comes as a blow to Sunderland’s play-off hopes given how important the full-back is to the club.

The 21-year-old featured 28 times in the Championship last term as Tony Mowbray guided the Black Cats to a sixth place finish.

Sunderland also confirmed that Niall Huggins has also undergone surgery, and that he will miss the remainder of this campaign at the very least.

Bradley Dack also remains on the sidelines, as he continues his recovery from a hamstring issue, with Patrick Roberts expected to make a return from his calf injury next month.

Sunderland will be hoping to have the pair back soon as they look to compete for promotion to the Premier League this year.

Michael Beale is only a few weeks into his role as the new head coach of the club, but he has already had to deal with significant injury issues impacting the first team squad.

Sunderland league position

Sunderland are currently sixth in the table, one point clear of the chasing pack outside the play-off places.

The club will be aiming to earn a second consecutive top six finish in the Championship, having earned a play-off spot last year.

The team narrowly missed out on promotion after a 3-2 aggregate loss to Luton Town in the semi-finals.

Next up for Sunderland is a clash away to Ipswich Town on 13 January.

Cirkin’s absence is a blow

Sunderland’s defensive options have been looking quite light due to injuries this season, so losing Cirkin for an extended period is another blow.

Huggins has emerged as another solid option at the back, but it remains to be seen just how long he will now be out for as well.

This is not what the club needs if it is going to compete for promotion this season.

The only positive news from this is that this has happened in January, which allows the Wearside outfit the opportunity to react in the winter transfer window by looking for short-term solutions to strengthen Beale’s squad.