Derek McInnes: Kilmarnock were ‘so invested’ in Brad Lyons winning first Northern Ireland cap

Lyons was handed his first cap by Michael O’Neill in a 1-0 defeat against Slovenia after being an ever-present in the Killie midfield this season, having won his place in the team towards the end of last term.

McInnes said: “The biggest thing was Brad becoming an international.

"We are all so invested in that, we were all so keen to see him come back with a cap and play his part.

“It just shows you in football the rewards for perseverance, determination and professionalism. A more popular boy, I don’t think we have worked with.

"His team-mates, myself, his family, everybody was just so keen to see him come back with that cap. It’s a real positive for him.

“It’s my job as manager to try and push and encourage all my players and you always want that reward for them.

"Rewards come in so many different ways, whether it’s international caps like Brad, financial rewards, going on to bigger and better things.

"As a staff we all want to invest in our players and make them feel important.

“Brad deserves all the credit. This is us doing our job, he has done his job particularly well.

"The best part about Brad is a few months ago, if someone had said that to him he would have thought it was such a long way off.

“It’s a reminder to everybody that whether you are in or out the team, if you apply yourself properly and have that confidence and belief, the rewards are there for you. It’s great to see that recognised from Michael.”