Some of domestic football's rising stars this week received call-ups to Northern Ireland squads for forthcoming Under-21 and Under-19 qualifiers.

Indeed, no fewer than eight players from the Danske Bank Premiership and Lough 41 Championship have been named in the Under-21 panel for this month's Euro qualifiers away to Russia (8th October) and Spain (12th October).

Linfield have two players in the squad, defender Trai Hume and midfielder Cameron Palmer, with a further six clubs having one player called up.

Joining Hume in defence is Larne's Kofi Balmer, while Oisin Smyth (Dungannon Swifts) will form part of the midfield alongside Palmer.

On top of that, U21 boss John Schofield has selected his entire strike force from local football. Cliftonville's Paul O'Neill is back in the squad after injury, and could be partnered up front by either Portadown's Harry Anderson, Ballymena United's Ryan Waide or, representing the Championship, John McGovern from Newry City.

In addition, Dungannon midfielder Terry Devlin was included in Gerard Lyttle's Under-19 panel for the four-team mini-tournament, also later this month, against hosts the Czech Republic, Denmark and Kazakhstan.