Signed from Everton in November 1998 for £500,000 and swiftly forced his way into the first-team reckoning, scoring a number of important goals from midfield.
After a fine first season back in the Premiership, which had him marked as one of the best young players in the country, he ruptured cruciate knee ligaments in February 2000 to miss the rest of the 1999/2000 season, a loss much lamented by Peter Reid.
He made a successful return to first-team action during the 2000/01 season to become a real driving force in the best Sunderland side for decades.
His skill, passing ability and his possession of that elusive left foot brought him to the attention of Sven Goran Eriksson who selected him for the squad that faced Spain in February.
Made his international debut in the second half of the experimental friendly which England won 3-0.
However, appeared to be unhappy at Sunderland a few weeks later he handed in a transfer request, which was rejected. Ideas above his station?
Did not add to that first cap and fell out of the reckoning for Sven Goran Eriksson's England party.
The player did knuckle down to his job with Sunderland, and whatever problems he was having were ironed out as he signed a one-year contract extension in the summer of 2002, keeping him at the club until 2006.
By the start of the 2002/03 campaign, McCann had played 100 games for the club, scoring ten goals.
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