Jobe Bellingham wasn’t the only player to shine as Sunderland clinched a 2-2 draw against Leeds United on Friday night.
Sunderland secured a deserved point at the Stadium of Light with a moment of fortune in the 97th minute as Illan Meslier’s blunder maintained their unbeaten start at home.
Meslier somehow completely missed the ball as it bounced back to him at slow speed and evaded his grasp, with Sunderland midfielder Alan Browne hilariously claiming the goal after the game.
Whilst the Frenchman’s error took centre stage in the game, Regis Le Bris will have been pleased with how some of his young stars performed.
Chris Rigg was hailed after scoring the game’s opener while Jobe Bellingham was threatening throughout as he saw multiple attempts go close from range.
Rigg and Bellingham weren’t the only two players to come out of the game with praise, though, as left-back Dennis Cirkin was outstanding.
Dennis Cirkin’s brilliant Sunderland display vs Leeds United
Talented left-back Cirkin suffered an injury-hit 2023/24 campaign, restricting him to just eight appearances in the Championship.
With a full pre-season under his belt, the 22-year-old has returned to his best this term and Cirkin has even been touted as a potential inclusion in the England squad.
Sunderland fans have been so impressed with Cirkin this season, who has played every single minute in the second tier.
In the recent 2-0 win over Derby County, Cirkin’s brilliance was underlined and he carried that form into Friday night’s draw with Leeds by producing some incredible statistics.
Awarded a 7/10 match rating by the Sunderland Echo, who lauded him as ‘dangerous’ when breaking forward, the Englishman helped the Black Cats get off the mark after his effort was saved brilliantly by Meslier before Rigg converted the rebound.
Despite showing a threat in attack with his pace, it was his defensive work up against Wilfred Gnonto that impressed the most, as Cirkin won 10 of his 17 ground duels, four of his six aerial duels and made five clearances.
The former Tottenham man also recorded three successful dribbles and 72 touches of the ball, in what was a complete performance.
- READ MORE: Sunderland star Chris Rigg is now outperforming one of Jude Bellingham’s Birmingham City stats
Dennis Cirkin is destined for the Premier League
Cirkin is one of several players aged 22 and under in the Sunderland squad who look destined to play Premier League football.
The attacking left-back did command interest from Brentford previously but nothing ever came of it, and he joins youngsters Rigg and Bellingham who could be sold for a huge fee.
Following such a horrible time with injuries, it’s also refreshing to see Cirkin cement his place in Le Bris’ starting XI, and arguably as one of the best wing-backs in the division.
If he continues to deliver such strong performances, particularly against tough opposition, his stock and value will only skyrocket even further.