Newcastle United claimed a late win over Fulham on Saturday afternoon as William Osula made a big impact.
Newcastle United were beaten at Brighton and Hove Albion last weekend, but have hit back well.
The Magpies beat Benfica in midweek before producing a late 2-1 victory over Fulham on Saturday.
Jacob Murphy fired Newcastle in front before Sasa Lukic appeared to have rescued a point for Fulham.
Newcastle found the crucial moment, though, as Bruno Guimaraes popped up in injury time to grab a late winner.
Eddie Howe praises Newcastle United’s William Osula
Bruno had missed a golden opportunity with a close-range header, but made amends with his late goal.
The winner came from great work by William Osula, as he drove at the Fulham defence before stinging Bernd Leno’s palms.
The ball fell kindly for Bruno to slot home and send Newcastle fans wild.
Tim Sherwood has praised Osula, and Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has followed suit.
Speaking to The Independent, Howe has admitted his delight with Osula after recent ankle injury problems.
Howe noted that Osula has enjoyed a ‘big development’ in his game this season, and his confidence is sky-high as a result.
Howe praised Osula’s ‘great attributes’, and is delighted with the impact he is making this season.
“I’m really pleased with Will because he’s not 100 per cent fit. He’s nursing an ankle problem, so we’ve got to try to manage him correctly,” said Howe.
“But I think you’ve seen, everyone that’s watched us, a big development in his game, a big change in his confidence levels because of that. He’s coming on the pitch and influencing matches and he’s got great attributes.
“Today, he did really, really well, I thought, to choose the right time to shoot. Leno’s made a good save, but our captain is there to finish off the move, so it’s a massive goal for us,” he added.
William Osula proves he can have a Newcastle United future
Osula’s impact comes amid lingering question marks over his Newcastle future.
Aston Villa wanted Osula on deadline day, but a move to Villa Park fell through.
Eintracht Frankfurt also missed out on a £30million deal for Osula as the Danish forward stayed at St James’ Park.
Eintracht remain keen on Osula and have made contact over a potential January move.
However, Osula is now proving that he can make a big impact for Newcastle, even if only from the bench.
The 22-year-old has pace, power and plenty of endeavour, meaning he is the last player opposing defenders want to face.
Osula still has a long way to go, and the chances of him supplanting Nick Woltemade or currently-injured Yoane Wissa in the pecking order are slim.
Osula has certainly proven that he can be trusted to make an impact, though, and Howe appears to be delighted with his improvement.
That suggests that Osula will be staying at Newcastle beyond January – unless a huge offer arrives in the New Year.
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