The left-sided player recounted some of his family history which made being drafted into the Irish squad special.

“My grandfather was a Dubliner who emigrated to the US in 1958, started a family in the US, and I was born in New York City.

“This was always a dream of mine, to represent this country, to do it for my grandfather. We’ve got a really strong Irish connection and roots.

“My dad has always been a proud descendant of an Irishman and he’s always instilled those values in us.

“My dad and my mum are super proud and I just want to do a job for them because they have invested so much in my career process.”

O’Toole’s sister Jillian plays for Treaty United in the Irish Women’s Premier Division and she will return to Ireland to support her brother this week.

“My fiancee and my aunt will be making the trip over and my sister will be coming back as well – her season just ended a couple of weeks ago.

“I’ve been back [to Ireland] quite a bit. My sister plays football in Limerick, so I was here over the summer watching a match of hers and just always love my visits here.

“My real interest [in playing for the Republic of Ireland] started growing a couple of years ago as I advanced with New York City and became a mainstay starter with the club.

“That’s when the opportunity rang a bell and the discussions started back in February, I had conversation over the phone with Heimir.

“He coached one of my current club team-mates at Jamaica previously so he contacted me and from there it was just about finding the right moment and it couldn’t be a bigger moment for it, so [I’m] really happy.”