Tony Mowbray set for Sunderland selection dilemma - one impressive youngster will miss out: Opinion | OneFootball

Highlights

Sunderland's Dennis Cirkin has missed the last six Championship games through a hamstring injury and is now waiting in the wings for his return.

The 21-year-old was Tony Mowbray's first choice left-back for the first five league games this season, with his most recent game being the impressive 5-0 victory over Southampton in September.

According to Sunderland Echo, Cirkin is nearly back but Mowbray does not expect him to be ready for this Saturday's clash with Stoke City.

Since signing from Tottenham in the summer of 2021, the defender has made 74 appearances for the Black Cats, scoring five goals and grabbing four assists in the process. Last campaign, the youngster was Sunderland's first choice left-back but picked up a few short-term injuries throughout the season.

How have Sunderland got on without Dennis Cirkin?

The Black Cats have won four of their last six Championship games with Cirkin on the sidelines. However, last weekend's 4-0 defeat to Middlesbrough halted Sunderland's strong run, and with the side sat in fourth place, they'll be looking to return to winning ways this Saturday. When Cirkin picked up his hamstring injury, Mowbray looked to Niall Huggins who had previously been a back-up option on the bench.

Huggins joined from Leeds in the same summer as Cirkin but has received far fewer first-team opportunities. Before this season, the former Leeds man had made just eight appearances in all competitions for Sunderland in the space of two years. Mowbray put his trust in Huggins recently, and so far it has proved to be the correct decision.

The full-back has started the last six Championship games and has impressed the Sunderland faithful with his performances. On his first start of the season, he grabbed an assist in a 3-1 win over Queens Park Rangers. Then, Huggins scored his first senior goal against Watford a few weeks later.

In last weekend's defeat to local rivals Middlesbrough, the young full-back was forced off through a minor injury but there did seem to be optimism at the time that wouldn't see him sidelined.

Will Niall Huggins' game time decrease with the return of Dennis Cirkin?

Whether it's this weekend or not, whenever Cirkin returns from injury he is bound to give Mowbray a headache over team selection. The question on many Sunderland fans' minds will be who takes the left-back position for the foreseeable future. After Huggins' recent form it would be really difficult to drop him as he has contributed towards some great results for the Black Cats.

However, when Mowbray had the choice of the two, he selected Cirkin every single time. The Sunderland gaffer may decide to fall back to his former first-choice, but many will believe that Huggins has recently proved that he is good enough to get the nod.

There is the possibility that with Cirkin's return, Huggins could move to right-back, which is where he scored his first senior goal from, but that would mean dropping first-choice on the right Trai Hume who has played exceptionally well this season.

Ultimately, when Cirkin does come back from his hamstring injury, Huggins' game time is less guaranteed and it'll be intriguing to see who Mowbray opts for.