Osula has spent the last fortnight representing Denmark at the European Under-21 Championships, with his involvement at the tournament having come to an end yesterday when his side suffered a 3-2 defeat to France in the quarter-finals.
The 21-year-old scored three goals and also claimed an assist during the group stage in Slovakia, even though Denmark Under-21 boss, Steffen Hojer, admitted Osula’s place in his squad was hanging in the balance until just before the start of the tournament.
Osula was left out of a number of Hojer’s squads in the last 12 months because the Denmark boss was worried about the youngster’s lack of senior involvement with Newcastle.
Osula joined the Magpies from Sheffield United last summer, but did not make a single Premier League start under Eddie Howe in the whole of last season.
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His three senior starts came in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, and while he claimed his first Premier League goal as a substitute in April’s win over Ipswich, Hojer feels he needs to be playing much more regularly next season if his career is not to stagnate.
“I think I’ve mentioned the potential many times,” said the Danish Under-21s boss. “But I was making the decision (to leave him out of squads) because he plays too little for people to discover him.
“Against Holland (at the Euros), you started to see a little bit of what he can do. On this team, he’s been good, and he’s scored a lot of goals.
“He has the speed he has, and he’s not easy for the others to handle. It’s quite impressive what he goes in and does when you think about what he came with (his lack of game time).”
Osula has also admitted that he needs to start playing more regularly at senior level with Newcastle in order to take his career to the next level.
Leaving on loan would be one way of securing more regular first-team football, and the Magpies would almost certainly be inundated with offers if they were to make the youngster available for a loan move.
However, with Callum Wilson looking likely to leave after Newcastle only offered him a short-term deal on reduced terms, Howe will be extremely reluctant to lose Osula given that his side will face a packed fixture schedule in the first half of next season following their qualification for the Champions League.
“I just need playing time to show what I can do,” said Osula. “It means something to me. I already know. Only myself and my father know what I can do. When playing time comes, everyone will see what I can do on the pitch.”
