Quinn looks certain to withdraw

Niall Quinn, who was supposed to see a specialist yesterday about the lower back injury that has plagued him for the past three months, had his meeting postponed and will not see the consultant until 2 p.m. today.

By then Quinn may have already been named in Mick McCarthy's squad for the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers in Cyprus and against Andorra in Barcelona but it is almost certain he will have to pull out this afternoon.

Quinn tried to relay that message to McCarthy yesterday but was unable to contact him.

Similarly, he was unable to speak to Sunderland manager Peter Reid because he is on a scouting mission to Argentina. On both occasions Quinn would have informed them that he thinks it is time to pay closer attention to his consultant.

This will be the third meeting with the Newcastle-based specialist. After the previous meetings Quinn has returned to the Sunderland side quickly but the fact that he has had to leave the pitch before half-time in three recent matches showed that his injury needed more healing time.

Judging by the physical attention paid by Aston Villa's Turkish defender Alpay last Monday night, opposition managers have noticed this and have targeted Quinn early in games. However, Quinn (34) does not think the injury has long-term implications.