Dennis Cirkin, a defender for the English football club 'Sunderland' playing in the Premier League, intends to represent the Latvia national team, according to a statement from the Latvian Football Federation (LFF), reports LETA.
As soon as Cirkin takes the field in an official match for the Latvia national team, he will no longer be able to represent another national team.
Although Cirkin agreed to the invitation to the March training camp of the Latvia national team, the process of changing football citizenship is lengthy, and preparing all the necessary documents takes time. Currently, legal formalities do not yet allow him to debut for the Latvia national team; however, they do allow for his official call-up through his club 'Sunderland', which the LFF has done.
The 23-year-old left-back has played for the England U-16, U-17, U-18, and U-20 teams.
The defender, who plays for 'Sunderland', was born in 2002 in Dublin (Ireland) to a family from Daugavpils and moved to London with his family at the age of three. Until 2021, he was in the 'Tottenham Hotspur' academy, after which he joined 'Sunderland', where he has been an important part of the team in League One and Championship tournaments for five seasons, and this season he made his debut in the English Premier League.
As explained by LFF President Vadim Lashenko, the player has long been on the federation's radar, and negotiations with Cirkin and his agent began five years ago.
"I have always felt Dennis's interest. I am genuinely pleased that after long and patient negotiations, he wants to join our national team's training camp, even if only in the training process for now. I want to emphasize that Cirkin obtained his Latvian passport independently four years ago, which confirms his personal connection to our country," Lashenko is quoted by the LFF.
The head coach of the national team, Paolo Nicolato, emphasized that Cirkin's presence in the national team's camp will be important even if he cannot yet take the field in matches against Gibraltar.
"He is a welcome player in the team, and in this camp, he will be able to get to know the group, our requirements, and our serious approach to work," Nicolato said.
This season, Cirkin has played seven matches in the Premier League.
