“I’ve had problems for more than 18 months and I’ll see the surgeon, but I’m not hopeful,” he said.

Manager Howard Wilkinson confirmed that Quinn, the only member of Peter Reid’s management team to remain in place after his departure, will have a scan but would not be drawn any further.

“Niall is having a scan on Tuesday,” he said. “Until he has the scan, there’s nothing to say.”

Quinn’s future has been the topic of speculation for some time as his back problem has become increasingly severe.

He admitted before last summer’s World Cup finals that he would sit down with Reid and discuss the way forward on his return, and agreed to take on a reduced playing role, as well as a place in the coaching set-up, for the final year of his existing contract.

But Reid, and now Wilkinson, have had to face up to the fact that a man who has become a talisman at the Stadium of Light, cannot go on forever.

Quinn joined the Black Cats in a £1.3m (€2.1m) move from Manchester City in August 1996 and, after shaking off early injury problems, led from the front.

His partnership with Kevin Phillips was the driving force behind Sunderland’s rise from First Division mediocrity to the Premiership’s top seven in successive seasons, and his absences last season were a factor in his side’s decline.

Injury problems for Phillips robbed Reid of his most potent striker but, even when fit, he rarely enjoyed the back-up which Quinn had provided for so long to help him fire his way to international recognition.

Reid realised some time ago that he needed to replace Quinn, and tried the likes of Lilian Laslandes, Patrick Mboma, David Bellion, Kevin Kyle and more recently, record signing Tore Andre Flo and Marcus Stewart in his place.

Now Wilkinson may finally have to pick up the pieces of the day his predecessor knew would eventually arrive amid fears that the end of a fine career is fast approaching.