NIALL QUINN is being considered for the vacant chief executive's role at Sunderland.

But a return to Wearside for the fans favourite is far from certain, with sources close to the player suggesting it will not happen.

There was a fractured relationship with Sunderland owner Ellis Short towards the end of his time at the club, although they are understood to have smoothed things over since.

Quinn’s involvement at Sunderland ended four years ago, having previously spent six years taking the club forward after Bob Murray sold out to the Irishman’s Drumaville consortium.

Following Margaret Byrne’s resignation last week, though, Short is working on filling the position, although he is unlikely to rush into anything while there is uncertainty surrounding what division they will play in next season.

Short is willing to take his time but is well aware of the importance of appointing the right person to fill that role, with manager Sam Allardyce expected to make a number of changes to the Sunderland squad in the summer.

The next chief executive will take over the responsibility of negotiating transfer fees and contracts for players, something Short has not really got involved in during his time as owner/chairman.

Quinn has been working with Sky Sports as a pundit and co-commentator, so it would be difficult for him to turn his back on that and return to the club where he spent six years as a player.

Sunderland’s next move could be crucial after infuriating supporters by the way the Adam Johnson affair was handled. Byrne paid the price for giving the go-ahead to play the winger – who has been convicted for sex offences - despite being aware of certain factors relating to the case.

Allardyce is preparing his team for Sunday’s Tyne-Wear derby with Newcastle at St James’ Park. It will be the first time he has returned to the Magpies, where he was manager, as Sunderland boss.

A surprise victory for Newcastle tonight in Rafael Benitez’s first game in charge would see Sunderland drop back into the bottom three with nine matches remaining.

The situation is hardly ideal, but under Allardyce the team have shown significant signs of improvement, particularly following the January buys.

World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst does not think it is a surprise because he believes the former Bolton manager is partly responsible for West Ham’s rise up the Premier League table under Slaven Bilic.

Hurst said: “I would put it down to Sam Allardyce and Slaven. They have bought very good players. Most of them, not all, have adapted to the culture, the lifestyle, the style, the pace of the Premier League. And that has made a huge difference.”

Many of Allardyce’s signings - like Enner Valencia, Diafra Sakho and Alex Song – have been crucial to the Hammers’ climb to fifth and they are only two points shy of a Champions League spot.