Eddie Howe believes William Osula has just sent a message to some of his Newcastle United teammates.
Osula has only made two starts this season but made a telling impact for Newcastle United on Saturday.
The 22-year-old came off the bench to help Howe’s side find a way past Marco Silva’s Fulham.
Indeed, Newcastle beat Fulham 2-1 to record only their third Premier League win of the season.
Jacob Murphy scored the opener for the hosts before Sasa Lukic equalised for Fulham. Still, substitutes Osula and Anthony Elanga applied pressure on the visitors late on, allowing the striker to roam forward.
His shot was saved by Bernd Leno but Bruno Guimaraes was there to tap in the rebound. After the game, Howe was asked about Osula’s impact.
Photo by Michelle Mercer/Newcastle United via Getty ImagesEddie Howe agrees that William Osula is proving something to Newcastle United’s frustrated players
Osula has had to bide his time at Newcastle. Despite either scoring or assisting in every competition this season, he’s only made two starts for the club.
Considering the manner of his impact against Fulham, the Newcastle United manager was asked about the striker by BBC Sport after the game.
Howe was quizzed on whether Osula was in-part sending a message to the other Newcastle players who aren’t getting much game time. Even when they are not playing regularly, they can still make an impact.
“Absolutely,” said Howe.
“I think Will is managing a couple of things at the moment, so he’s got an ankle problem that he’s managing, so he’s not 100% fit and that’s why I was even more delighted for him because he put his body on the line for the team.
“He’s performing while sort of managing that situation, so full credit to him. I thought it was a great run, really good attempt and Bruno gets the goal.
“For me, Will plays a huge part in us winning today.”
Yoane Wissa will be very happy as Newcastle United teammate lifts the pressure
At some point reasonably soon, Yoane Wissa will make his long-awaited debut for Newcastle United.
Still, Howe has warned that Wissa needs six weeks to return to full fitness even when he is available for selection.
That puts a lot of pressure on the player, who forced his way out of Brentford this summer. Alexander Isak is struggling with a similar issue right now and a lot has been made about his poor form for Liverpool.
With Nick Woltemade firing and Osula slowly showing he can make an impact, the need for Wissa to hit the ground running straight away is slightly less pressing.