Irish international Niall Quinn has revealed a clause in his contract that means he will earn less if he does not play for Peter Reid's Sunderland side.

Quinn signed a new three-year contract with the last year of it different to the rest. Quinn will be 36 in his last year of the contract so he has agreed to a pay-as-you-play clause.

The former Manchester City man, who agreed new terms last week, said: "I'm pleased to get the new contract sorted and the club has done very well for me.

"The only problem I envisaged was the length of the deal. I wanted a three-year which I have got, but if I don't play every game it's taken care of in the contract.

"If I'm not in the team in the third year I'll not hold the earning power, so it won't be a case of me sitting around and collecting the money if the legs go, which is only fair. But as long as I'm playing and doing things for Sunderland then it's great."

Niall plans on calling it a day after his current contract.

"I won't carry on after this deal," he said. "I want to give everything for Sunderland during the three years then it'll be time to bow out. I don't want to drag my career out and play without doing myself justice, that's not me."