Eddie Howe gives his honest verdict on Odysseas Vlachodimos’ Newcastle United debut against Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup

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There was a Newcastle United debut during the Carabao Cup win over Wimbledon on Tuesday night.

The Magpies beat Wimbledon 1-0 to advance to the fourth round, with Fabian Schar netting a first half penalty after Miguel Almiron was fouled in the box.

Will Osula has dominated a lot of the post-match chat, after he started for Newcastle United for the first time since his £10million move from Sheffield United. He did not mark his first start with a goal, but there were certainly signs of promise from Osula.

However, this was not the 21-year-old’s first Newcastle appearance. That came off the bench during the Magpies’ 3-1 defeat to Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Odysseas Vlachodimos makes his Newcastle United debut against Wimbledon

Instead, the Newcastle United debutant on Tuesday night was Odysseas Vlachodimos.

The Greek goalkeeper came on at half time, with Martin Dubravka unable to continue after sustaining an injury during the opening 45 minutes.

It was the first time that Toon fans have seen Vlachodimos since his £20million arrival from Nottingham Forest, even if supporters inside St James’ Park were actually told that John Ruddy was the one coming on to replace Dubravka.

Rest assured, it was Vlachodimos, and his first 45 minutes as a Newcastle United player were without fault as the Magpies kept a clean sheet to set up a Carabao Cup fourth round tie with Chelsea.

Eddie Howe’s verdict on Vlachodimos’ Newcastle United debut

Vlachodimos probably was not expecting to make his debut against Wimbledon, but he got the chance to come on and did everything that was asked of him.

Eddie Howe was certainly pleased, and he has praised the 30-year-old during an interview with BBC Radio Newcastle.

“I thought he did very well,” he said.

“Difficult game. There was a set play threat – he came for one really good long throw and claimed the ball. I don’t think he had any shots of note to save, but he distributed the ball well and showed his experience.

“I was very pleased with him.”

Newcastle’s goalkeeper situation is unclear ahead of Everton game

Next up for Newcastle United is a return to Premier League action, as they face Everton at Goodison Park for potentially the final time ever.

The likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon will return to the Newcastle starting lineup, but it remains unclear who will start in goal.

Ordinarily, it would be Nick Pope. However, Howe has stated that he missed the Wimbledon game due to swelling on his knee. He is therefore a doubt to face Everton, although there is hope that he will be passed fit.

If Pope is ruled out, there could be a chance that Vlachodimos makes his first ever Newcastle United start. That would depend on the severity of the injury that Dubravka sustained against Wimbledon.

It would be quite the story if the Greece international ended up playing a Premier League game for the Magpies. His move to Tyneside was highly controversial, while Newcastle did tell Vlachodimos he could leave towards the end of the summer transfer window.

However, the man who Newcastle players and staff call Ody opted to stay, and he has already played more than anticipated.