Bio – Who is Dennis Cirkin? – the youngster praised by Mourinho

Tottenham head coach Jose Mourinho has been full of praise for the club’s academy set up and the young talent coming through the system since his arrival at Spurs.

One player who the Portuguese manager has singled out is 17-year-old full-back Denis Cirkin, who caught Mourinho’s attention with his performance in the UEFA youth league against Olympiacos (Football.London).

The youngster recently took to social media to confirm that he has signed his first professional contract with Spurs.

Here’s all you need to know about the youngster:

According to the club’s official website, Dennis Cirkin was born in Ireland but moved to London at the age of three. The 17-year-old has come through the system at Tottenham and has represented Spurs at different age levels.

At U-16 level, Cirkin shined has a left full-back and got forward with great effect, netting seven goals in the 2017/18 campaign.

The teenager made 14 appearances for the U-18s last season and was part of Tottenham’s U-18 team that beat Southampton 3-1 in the first-ever game at the new stadium.

His performances for the club have also seen him be called up to represent England at U-16 and U-17 level.

Cirkin is a technically gifted player who enjoys getting forward and joining in the attack. While he has been employed further forward on occasions for this reason, the youngster also has a fantastic ability to read the game and make good interceptions.

He is quite adept at one vs one situations, both defensively and going forward, and has a decent amount of pace as well.

While it remains to be seen how Cirkin will evolve in the next few years, left wing-back seems to be his best position for the moment.

Spurs Web Opinion

While Mourinho has been quite complimentary of the club’s young talent, he certainly doesn’t have a great track record of giving opportunities to young players. I do not expect the 56-year-old to change his ideas too much at Spurs and expect him to favour tried ad tested talent over youth.

Related Topics