WANDERERS are due to pay a “substantial” bonus fee after Eoin Toal made his international debut for Northern Ireland on Tuesday night.

The defender earned his first cap in a 1-0 defeat against Slovenia at Windsor Park, triggering a payment to his former club Derry City.

Toal signed from the League of Ireland side in July last year with Bolton paying around £75,000 up front and committing to similar payments once he played international football or the club was promoted to the Championship.

The 24-year-old has been on the fringes of the squad since first being called up by Michael O’Neill in March and had been pencilled in to make a first start in the summer before undergoing treatment on an ankle injury.

His debut came in trying circumstances, with an injury-hit Northern Ireland side now unable to qualify for the European Championships next summer.

Tasked with marking RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko – a physical striker who has drawn comparisons with Erling Haaland and turned down a move to Manchester United in the summer – O’Neill said he was happy with Toal’s display.

"Eoin can be more than happy with his performance,” he said. “He had one or two little moments, but overall he was playing against a striker, who is very highly rated in Europe, a young striker that would be on a lot of clubs' watchlists at this moment in time.

"He doesn't play against strikers like that in League One so I think he can be really pleased with how he played."

Toal is one of several younger players currently plying their trade outside the Premier League who look set to make up the backbone of the Northern Ireland squad in the lead up to the next World Cup in 2026.

O’Neill believes the team can still be competitive without top flight stars but has challenged them to push on and evolve their club careers.

"I think there is potentially a good team here going forward, but it will take time and we need to be patient with the players," the manager said.

"Can the players who are playing League One at the minute, can they get to Championship? I don't think going forward we are going to have a team that is riddled with Premier League players, but it doesn't mean that we can't build a team that can compete."

After falling behind early on, Northern Ireland's task was made even more complicated by the dismissal of Shea Charles in the 58th minute.

Wanderers striker Dion Charles came on midway through the second half to try and salvage a result with 10 men, to no avail.