William Osula’s late impact off the bench for Newcastle United was a reminder to Eddie Howe.
So much has been made about Nick Woltemade’s fine start to life at Newcastle United, as well as Yoane Wissa’s imminent return from injury.
Still, it was third-choice striker Osula who played a vital role in Newcastle’s 2-1 win over Fulham on Saturday.
Indeed, it was his pressing and subsequent shot that helped Howe’s side find a late winner through Bruno Guimaraes.
Osula may soon be third choice but has certainly shown enough to get excited about this season. He’s scored in the Carabao Cup and the Premier League, while also assisting in the Champions League.
Slowly but surely, he’s proving something to the Newcastle United manager and pundit Tim Sherwood has called for him to play more often.
Bruno Guimaraes celebrates after scoring for Newcastle United against Fulham.
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
Tim Sherwood urges Newcastle to play William Osula more often
That was Osula’s 11th appearance of the season.
Only two of those have come from the start but, at some point, he will need to be trusted on a more significant basis.
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Woltemade cannot play every single minute of every single game and Howe has confirmed that Wissa needs time to get fully fit again.
With that in mind, Osula surely did his chances of starting against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night little harm.
Watching on for Sky Sports, former Aston Villa and Tottenham manager Sherwood said: “Osula came on for Woltemade and I like this kid, he should be playing more often. He’s so quick and has a dragged finish.
“Bruno Guimaraes has missed some big chances but it looks like he’s got the winner!
“There’s six minutes of stoppage time and Bruno’s just put it in the back of the net.”
The twist of fate about William Osula that Newcastle United insiders are loving
The former Sheffield United forward almost left the club this summer amid interest from Eintracht Frankfurt.
The club, however, pulled the plug on the deal and Newcastle insiders believe Osula can become a better player as a result.
Clearly, he’s not perfect. Still, he brings an unbridled energy and a chaos factor to the pitch that was profoundly lacking amongst his teammates for much of the Fulham game.
Woltemade needs help and Wissa will require it too when he returns to the pitch. Osula can provide that.