Newcastle United legend Shay Given has heaped praise on one star he believes has improved significantly under Eddie Howe.
The Magpies were unable to find a breakthrough against Leeds United at a very wet Elland Road, with Eddie Howe fielding a team which included several changes.
Tino Livramento was, surprisingly, playing as a left winger, being favoured over Harvey Barnes, while Jacob Ramsey has been given his full Newcastle United debut after coming off the bench against Liverpool.
Howe is also without Alexander Isak, who is still making themselves unavailable for Newcastle in an attempt to get his move away from the club this summer.
With Anthony Gordon suspended, William Osula earned his first Premier League start against Leeds at Elland Road. It is a tough ground to go to, especially in your first start, but he has held his own in the first 45.
Pre-match, Newcastle legend Shay Given took the time to praise the 22-year-old for his growth over the last 12 months.
Shay Given praises William Osula amid first Premier League start
It has been a long time coming, but Osula has finally been given his first start in the Premier League. Unfortunately, the Dane was unable to capitalise on his chance to impress and looked rather out of place throughout.
Osula may have felt the pressure of the occasion with new signing Nick Woltemade in the stands, as he never managed to grab hold of the game and do anything to change it.
Despite that, Osula was still given a lot of praise from Given, who is clearly a big fan of the forward.
“William Osula got off the other night. He came off the bench and got a very important equaliser. Newcastle thought it was going to be enough to get a point.
“What I would say about Will Osula is he’s improved a lot since he joined the club, and you’ve got to give Eddie Howe and his coaching staff great credit for that because he was a wee bit raw when he first turned up, but it feels like there’s a real player in there.
“He’s still very young, he’s still a young player, and there’s room for improvement, but I’ve definitely seen huge strides in his own personal career since he joined Newcastle.
“Tonight is a great opportunity for him. I know there’s a new striker just joined yesterday as well but if he bangs a goal in tonight, it gives Eddie a problem for the next game.”
Unfortunately, Osula did not score, so Howe should not have much of a headache with his next starting XI.
- Who is William Osula? Get to know the rapid Newcastle United striker who is quickly becoming a cult hero
Some positives to take for Newcastle United despite the disappointing Leeds draw
While it is another draw, Newcastle have only lost one of their opening three Premier League games, with that only loss being against the defending Premier League champions while down to 10 men.
Newcastle are known for starting the season off rather slowly, and we are seeing a repeat of what usually happens in the early stages. Thankfully, it is only one defeat, and there are two points on the board.
A lack of goals is worrying, and the lack of chances during the draw against Leeds will surely give fans even more to worry about, but Woltemade is here, and he will be doing everything he can to impress in his debut against Wolves in two weeks.
Additionally, fans should be very pleased with the way Newcastle’s defenders played in tricky conditions against Leeds. The likes of Tino Livramento, Dan Burn and Sven Botman were brilliant at Elland Road, and arguably saved the Magpies a point away from home.
Newcastle now have two weeks to reassess and make the appropriate changes before returning to St James’ Park for their fourth game of the Premier League season.
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