Newcastle United legend Shay Given gave his verdict on Nick Woltemade after scoring on his debut against Wolves.
There is a new hero on Tyneside following the departure of Alexander Isak, and his name is Nick Woltemade.
The 23-year-old scored a brilliant header on his debut to secure the three points for the Magpies and move them up the Premier League table.
Newcastle United have been longing for a new striker following the long and draining Isak transfer saga, which, one would argue, cost them the seven points they dropped in the opening three games of the season.
However, the first win came in the first game in which Eddie Howe had a natural striker in his starting XI.
Alan Shearer was complimentary of Woltemade for his goal, and fellow Newcastle legend Shay Given has followed suit, sharing his verdict on the goal.
Nick Woltemade looks on during a Premier League game between Newcastle United and Wolves.
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Shay Given says Nick Woltemade is more than a build-up player for Newcastle United
Given was complimentary of William Osula before the international break, but it was all about new signing Woltemade on Saturday, despite Osula coming off the bench in the second half.
The hope is that Woltemade can kick on and take a lot of confidence from his first goal, hopefully with another bright performance against Barcelona in the Champions League on Thursday.
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Woltemade did a great job working with the midfielders throughout the game, giving wingers Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy multiple opportunities to break through the back line and try to get a shot on goal. In the end, his goal was enough, a towering header into the top corner.
While his build-up play was admirable, Given, speaking to BBC Sport, was full of praise for the way the striker got into the right areas throughout the game.
“It’s the perfect start isn’t it, scoring on your debut at St James’ Park,” he said.
“I’ve been interested to see the positions he takes up. There was a lot of talk before the game that he’s more a number 10 than a nine.
“But I’m sure Eddie Howe and his staff will be saying ‘yeah, he’s a good link-up player but with his size, you have to get the ball to him in the box’.”
Nick Woltemade gives Eddie Howe more opportunities to experiment at Newcastle United
While Isak was known for his impressive dribbling and ability to break through the back line, Woltemade appears to be much more of a team player in comparison to the Swedish striker.
Woltemade can take up several different roles at Newcastle, whether it is as a target man or a deep-lying forward; he has the capability of adapting his game to suit Howe’s tactical approach to the game.
Against Wolves, fans often saw Woltemade dropping deep and holding up the ball before passing off to an attacking midfielder.
Yoane Wissa is out for at least a month, but when he is fit, Howe could play him and Woltemade together as an attacking duo, giving Newcastle even more firepower and a completely different approach from what the fans are used to.
If Woltemade carries on his impressive form, the future looks very bright for the Magpies.