John Toshack has challenged Wales new boy Jermaine Easter to show he can make the jump in class to international football.

The Cardiff-born striker has earned his first Wales call for the February 6 friendly against Northern Ireland in Belfast.

The Wycombe forward has hit 20 goals this season and impressed manager Toshack enough to name him in a 24-man squad on Friday.

Wales have lost Norwich's 17-goal Robert Earnshaw until May with a serious groin injury and that has created the opportunity for Easter.

Toshack explained: "There is a big gulf between where Jermaine is playing and international football - he has to bridge that. But I have seen him a couple of times and he is scoring a lot of goals, 20 already this season.

"He has also scored against Premiership teams, Fulham, Charlton and Chelsea, which suggests he can step up a level. So I have included him in this squad to see how he goes.

"We are without Robert Earnshaw through injury until the games in May, and we have to look at all our options."

Another player with something to prove is Sunderland defender Danny Collins, recalled by Toshack after apologising for an angry outburst last season over the decision to leave him on the bench for the draw with Paraguay.

Collins told Toshack he did not want to play for his country while the former Real Madrid chief was in charge.

Toshack said: "Danny was very disappointed after the Paraguay game when [Lewin] Nyatanga made his debut, and he relayed that disappointment to me.

"He told me he didn't want to play for Wales again while I was manager, so I haven't picked him since.

"But, after we played Liechtenstein in November, he contacted me and said he had been hasty, what he'd said had been a mistake and he regretted it.

"I told him that I would consider him in the future, and that is what I have done. There's no promises, but he maybe saw that we had the likes of Steve Evans and Craig Morgan in the squad and that he should be there too.

"Now we are without key defenders James Collins, Danny Gabbidon and Mark Delaney, who are all injured.

"So, although Evans and Morgan have been included again, I felt that it was time to give him another chance."

Blackburn goalkeeper Jason Brown has been left out, having failed to establish himself in the first team at Ewood Park.