Alexander Isak is set to sit out of Newcastle United’s FA Cup clash with Bromley on Sunday afternoon after picking up a slight hamstring concern in midweek win over Arsenal. Eddie Howe insists the Swede looks to have avoided any serious damage but after initially planning to use the in-form forward against the League Two opposition, the boss won’t be taking any chances this weekend.
“We would probably have involved him [Isak] in some way but I think he’ll be given this game to rest,” Howe told reporters at the club’s Benton base on Friday morning.
Step forward Mr William Osula. Newcastle United‘s £15m summer signing who has so far been involved in every Premier League matchday squad but has only managed 28 minutes of action across six top flight games.
Sunday, against lower league opposition, feels like the ideal time for Osula to be thrown in from the start, with fans clamouring to see the youngster for longer than a handful of minutes at the end of a game. After all, the former Sheffield United man has impressed during his brief cameos in both the league and cup since arriving at St James’ Park.
However, the ever-cautious Howe has sought to improve Osula’s game on the training pitch before exposing him to too much game time in the senior side. The 21-year-old has been doing individual training with some of Howe’s backroom staff to work on his finishing and all-round play.
The hope is that Osula will get up to speed with his peers behind the scenes, before being properly unleashed in competitive action in the Premier League. This was a tactic Howe opted for with Lewis Hall, who is now one of the first names on the team sheet at St James’ Park.
Discussing Osula ahead of Sunday’s cup clash, Howe admitted: “We could [see Osula start against Bromley]. All options are available to me. I’ve got to make the right decision. Will is continuing to develop.
“It’s been difficult the last few games because I’ve had to make decisions in running in a couple of situations. Against Tottenham we were winning and I decided to put a midfielder in Alex’s position when Alex was fatigued and had to come off. That’s because we were protecting the lead and I wanted someone with real experience who could manage the game for us.
“It was very similar the other night against Arsenal where, in a different phase of the game, I felt I needed real experience to help us navigate those last few minutes on the pitch. But Will is, on the other side, developing really well and if we need a goal then the decision would be very different.
“In training we’ve had a few 11-v-11 games and he’s looked really sharp, scored goals. If he is involved this weekend I would expect him to play well.”
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