Tony Mowbray explains why Dennis Cirkin suspension is 'fine' for Sunderland

Tony Mowbray says the suspension to Dennis Cirkin is unlikely to be a problem for Sunderland, as he was already pencilled in for a rest.

The left-back was sent off in the 2-1 win over Birmingham City, meaning he must sit out the visit of Huddersfield Town on Tuesday night.

Cirkin was a regular this season until November but he has been blighted by injury since.

In fact, since the World Cup break he has played just 203 minutes of football. With that in mind, Mowbray said it was always the plan to manage his minutes carefully to protect him.

Asked about the red card against Birmingham, Mowbray said: "I haven't discussed it with Dennis, to be honest, and I haven't looked back at it. It's fine, though.

"If anything, he'd have been left out on Tuesday anyway because he had been out a long, long time, and playing back-to-back games in such a short period and then another one, he'd have been under threat of injury.

“So for him to sit out and watch the game knowing he is not going to play is not such a bad thing for Dennis Cirkin.

"We do have [Luke] O'Nien who is an amazing footballer and an amazing personality. We will find an answer to the conundrum of what the team is going to look like on Tuesday night."

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