Osula joined Newcastle from Sheffield United last summer, but has found his first-team opportunities on Tyneside extremely limited over the course of the last nine months.
The Danish forward has made just three senior starts, none of which have come in the Premier League, and has regularly found himself coming on as a substitute for the final few minutes of games.
He scored his first Newcastle goal in January’s FA Cup third-round win over Bromley, and finally opened his account in the Premier League on Saturday when he headed home the final goal of his side’s 3-0 win over Ipswich Town.
Osula outjumped the Ipswich defence to convert Kieran Trippier’s corner, and while his game time is likely to remain limited in the final four matches of the current campaign, he will hope to be a more regular presence in Eddie Howe’s first team next season.
“That’ll be his target, and I’m sure he can,” said Newcastle centre-half Dan Burn, who also scored a headed goal at the weekend. “He’s shown in a couple of positions the potential that he’s got. He just needs to be consistently at the level that you can see.
“There’s really big flashes of it where you can see a top, top player, and the more consistent he can be with that will only help.”
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Osula joined Newcastle having only just broken into the Sheffield United first team. While he joined the Blades’ academy set-up in 2018, he didn’t make his senior debut for the club until March 2022.
He made 31 senior appearances for Sheffield United, scoring three goals, with his lack of experience meaning it was always going to take time for him to settle into his new surrounds in the Premier League with Newcastle.
“I’ve always said that when you sign for Newcastle, with the manager we’ve got, that it’s really hard to hit the ground running,” said Howe. “We demand a lot from each other with the way that we play, the patterns that we use and the standards that we drive each other with, and he’s had to be patient.
“He’s got some very, very strong competition in his position, which is tough for him, but he’s done really well. A lot of the staff have been working a lot with him one on one and trying to push him.
“I’m really happy for him to get his first Premier League goal. I think that’s always an important one, especially the position he plays.”
Howe has been pleased with the rate of Osula’s progress this season, and was impressed with the youngster’s performance as a right winger after he left the bench at the weekend.
The vast majority of Osula’s game time with Newcastle has come in a central-attacking role, but Howe feels he is adding some valuable versatility to his game.
“We think he’s (Osula) improved,” said the Magpies boss. “But obviously the acid test will be when he performs on the pitch and in the team.
“I thought he was excellent (against Ipswich). He came on at right wing, which is a totally different position and totally different skill-set to playing as a nine. But I thought he looked a real threat.
“He looked quick and athletic, and I thought the goal was an outstanding finish. He’s six foot three verging on six foot four, so he needs to be a physical presence, he needs to be able to use his aerial skills. I’m delighted that he got his first Premier League goal.”
