Dennis Cirkin says he is enjoying the opportunity to be back in the red-and-white shirt even if he is still working hard to reach his peak performance.
The fact that Cirkin has been fully healthy from the start, surviving the first few games unharmed and becoming stronger with each outing, is one of Sunderland’s main preseason advantages thus far. Due to injuries, the 22-year-old was only able to play in nine games across all competitions last season—a campaign he freely acknowledges was among the hardest of his career thus far. “Undoubtedly, it’s a work in progress. Definitely, I’m not where I want to be just yet. But that’s what the preseason is for, and I was able to enter it in optimal shape, which was exactly what I required. Although it was one of the worst years I’ve ever experienced, I emerged from it having gained far more knowledge than I had in any previous year. Since it might be challenging to look back and try to figure out what went wrong or what you could have done, to be really honest, I don’t really want to look back. Sometimes, I believe it’s best to learn what you can from the experience and move on from it.
“It’s a good feeling here, it’s early days and we’re all getting to know the gaffer and vice versa,” he said.
We’ve already held a number of meetings, and we think this season will be fantastic since those relationships are growing. It’s always a fresh start to a new season, and instead of dwelling too much on the past, you should learn from it and strive to make the necessary changes going forward. I’m eager to see what I can accomplish and perhaps contribute to this squad because it’s been a while since I played competitively.
The squad has a wide range of dynamics, so it will be intriguing to watch how things work out. Like all of us, I’ve had a couple pleasant conversations with the new head coach, and so far, so good.
“To be honest, I simply want to get down that left side again because it’s my favorite thing in the world, but I’m hoping I can help the club with goals and assists as well. It’s good to work with Jack [Clarke] once more because we have an unmatched bond on the field and he’s a fantastic player. It’s thrilling to watch him perform once more, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Sunderland’s preseason trip of Spain comes to a close on Sunday evening at the Pinatar Arena against CD Eldense (7pm KO).
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