The four-game window to start the 2026 Nations League is Graham's second time in the senior Northern Ireland panel after he was included in the squad for June friendlies against Guinea and France. Ready to be substituted on against the latter, the final whistle was blown before he made it on for an international debut. O'Neill felt Graham "deserved" a senior bow for how he trained through the June window. When it comes to a future position for the forward who stands at 5ft 9in, he added it was important to remember "every player develops physically differently".

"I've watched him a lot, we've watched Braiden since he was young, I've seen him from like 14 or 15," O'Neill said. "Every player develops physically differently. It's very difficult to play in the Premier League as a striker, look at the profile of what clubs want as their striker."

"But Braiden's a very talented player, he's a very technical player, a great finisher. He has a really good left foot, he's smart in terms of how he plays."