Matthias Jaissle has revealed he gave Will Osula the maximum minutes possible during the 4-1 defeat to Coventry City.
With the Magpies needing an equaliser in the closing stages, the Dane - who started the season as first-choice striker - came on for the final 12 minutes. Osula had been sidelined since the opening day of the Premier League campaign with a foot injury.
When Jaissle made a triple substitution on the hour mark, the 23-year-old had not yet warmed up on the touchline. This was a big indication that Osula is still not 100 per cent fit.
Ultimately, the Magpies turned to the striker to rescue the game but conceded just three minutes later. Coventry netted again before the full-time whistle to complete a resounding home win.
Matthias Jaissle on Will Osula
Speaking post-match, Jaissle stayed coy on whether Osula could return to the starting line-up against Aston Villa. He told NewcastleWorld: “It was again the maximum limited match minutes I could give him today. And we need to see now how he's improving over the next days and weeks.”
‘We need to be smart’ - Matthias Jaissle
Amar Dedic and Joelinton were also not risked from the offset at the CBS Arena. Jaissle has insisted that Newcastle must be smart and avoid rushing players back.
“Unfortunately, the match minutes were really limited,” he added. “And we need to be smart as we had so many injuries already and we also followed the advice there.
“So we took the limit already with these guys. I'm happy that they are back. But it will also take a couple of weeks until they're physically on their best again.”