You would not know from the way he is playing, but Nick Woltemade is under a lot of pressure at Newcastle United.
There has been pressure ever since he arrived on Tyneside, becoming Newcastle United’s most expensive signing ever at £69million.
Newcastle have been told they massively overpaid for Nick Woltemade, but he has given no such impression on the pitch. The 23-year-old has been outstanding, netting four goals for his new club already.
Woltemade has thrived as Newcastle United’s main man, despite the initial plan being to ease him into the side. That plan was derailed by Yoane Wissa’s injury, with Woltemade forced to play a starring role straight away.
That put the Germany international under even more pressure, but he rose to the occasion in Wissa’s absence.
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Eddie Howe confirms ‘slight’ injury for Will Osula
As Woltemade gets to grips with leading the line for Eddie Howe’s side, he has received backup from Will Osula. The Danish forward has gotten more minutes than ever, benefiting from Wissa’s unavailability.
However, now Osula has an injury problem of his own to worry about.
That is according to Howe, who has spoken about the 22-year-old’s fitness ahead of Newcastle’s game against Brighton.
“Will Osula has done very well when he’s come on to the pitch,” he said.
“He’s nursing a slight ankle injury at the moment so he’s not 100% training with us in every moment.”
Osula’s sudden fitness problem reinforces the fragility of Newcastle’s striker situation.
While Osula is not quite at the level needed to be a regular starter for the Magpies, he is a good option to have off the bench. He is a particularly good option when Howe is trying to manage Woltemade’s minutes and keep him as fit as possible amid Newcastle’s gruelling schedule.
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Who could provide striker cover for Nick Woltemade if Will Osula is injured
With Osula nursing an injury problem, it remains to be seen if he will be fit enough to feature at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.
If not, that is one less option that Howe can rely on up front.
In terms of viable understudies for Woltemade, Newcastle could turn to Anthony Gordon. He started the season as a central striker, while he also played there for England during the recent international break.
Elsewhere, Sean Neave is impressing for Newcastle United Under-21s as he awaits his competitive debut for the club.
The hope is that Osula will be fit enough to be named in the Newcastle United squad against Brighton. He was spotted in the club’s training video earlier in the week, as Howe prepared his players for the trip to the South Coast.
Osula will be desperate to shake off this injury as soon as possible, as he knows that his minutes will soon diminish once Wissa returns to full fitness.
These are valuable opportunities for Osula, and he has certainly not wasted them.
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