Callum Wilson was unable to inspire Newcastle United to victory in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, and Shay Given believes he looked ‘quiet’ at Wembley.
Given has spoke about Newcastle‘s Carabao Cup final defeat on The Overlap YouTube channel, and has expressed a concern over Wilson’s performance.
The £20million man was restored to Eddie Howe’s starting lineup, having missed the previous two games due to injury. He did not feature against Bournemouth or Liverpool, with Alexander Isak taking his place.
It led to a pre-match debate over who Howe would pick to lead the line following Wilson’s return to fitness. He went with the 31-year-old, and you could now argue it was a mistake.
Isak came on at half time and played very well. He was much more of a threat than Wilson was against Manchester United.
Shay Given thought Callum Wilson was ‘quiet’ in the Carabao Cup final
On the latest video on The Overlap YouTube channel, Given spoke to Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher about the Carabao Cup final. Neville asked the former Toon goalkeeper if Howe could have done any more to change the result.
“Wilson looked a bit quiet on Sunday,” Given said.
“The question mark before the game was Isak – would he have started the game would that have been a little bit different perhaps.
“Obviously the big talking point before the game was Karius playing in goal. Nick Pope was out of course.
“Could he [Howe] have done much different? I’m not sure looking at the bench. That’s probably where you look at the squad and the depth of squad at Newcastle. Probably 11 really good players, but behind that they’ve got one or two, not six or seven.”
Time for a change up front for Newcastle
Wilson certainly wasn’t at his best against Manchester United. He was kept out of the game by Lisandro Martinez, who dominated the Toon number nine. Our main man up front barely got a sniff of goal, which was worrying to see.
He has been far from his best since returning from the World Cup. Wilson has scored just one goal after the Premier League’s resumption, taking his tally to seven.
While Wilson struggled, Isak was lively at Wembley. He added a new dimension to our attack, and asked different questions of the Man United defence.
Sunday’s defeat could be a sliding doors moment up front. We believe that it is now time for Isak to be a guaranteed starter at St James’ Park, whether that’s alongside or instead of Wilson. The 23-year-old is the future, and needs a sustained run in the side – something he hasn’t had since his £63million move.
Should Howe have started Isak over Wilson? Personally, I think the manager made the right decision, but it just didn’t click for Wilson on Sunday.
As Given says, he was quiet, and his performance summed up our limp attacking display in the Carabao Cup final.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
