Ibrahim Osman scored his first goal for Birmingham City in their 2-1 win over Leicester City
Birmingham City winger Ibrahim Osman celebrates his first goal in English football
Ibrahim Osman’s work ethic in Birmingham City matches and training sessions has blown Chris Davies away.
The Ghanaian winger produced another electric performance for Blues in their 2-1 victory over Leicester City at St Andrew’s on Saturday.
Osman opened the scoring inside three minutes after robbing Leicester skipper Ricardo Pereira of the ball and finishing smartly past Asmir Begovic.
The 21-year-old continued to torment Pereira in his first full 90 minutes for Blues with seven successful ball carries and five take-ons.
Given the fact Osman played once for Auxerre in the two months before he joined Blues, the on-loan Brighton man has settled better than expected.
“We had high hopes bringing him in but he hadn’t played in the Championship and there’s an adaption there,” said Blues manager Davies.
“He had done well in Holland (with Feyenoord), then he’s gone to France with a different style of play and it’s going to be different here again.
“The talent was clear, the speed and the raw attributes were clear, but how exactly he was going to adapt was on him. He has to take all the credit.
“You can see the outlet he’s got and the acceleration he’s got, but what I love the most and I’ll keep building with him is his work-rate.
“He works as well. It’s all very well being an outlet but if you’re a weak link defensively it’s no use to us – he works really hard for the team and trains well, that’s one thing I have picked up with him, he enjoys every session and works hard in every session.
“He loves the game. That shines through.”
Should Osman keep his place when Demarai Gray returns to fitness? Have your say in the comments…Get the latest Blues headlines sent straight to your phone
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