Newcastle United striker ruled out v Crystal Palace & Leeds after club conduct internal injury investigation
Newcastle United injuries: William Osula’s two-month injury absence is set to be extended following an internal investigation into his ankle problem.
Newcastle United forward William Osula has been out of action for two months due to an ankle problem that he was initially playing through.
The 22-year-old was getting regular minutes earlier in the season and was frequently making an impact off the bench with a goal against Liverpool, an assist against Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League and a key contribution to Bruno Guimaraes’ winner against Fulham. Osula also netted a brace in a 4-1 Carabao Cup win over Bradford back in September.
Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe first highlighted Osula’s ankle issue back in October as the club looked to be managing the issue. But after initially being named on the bench against Athletic Club in the Champions League, Osula quickly withdrew from the matchday squad following the results of a specialist assessment and hasn’t been seen in action since.
Although subsequent scans on Osula’s ankle revealed no major problem, the player is still feeling pain and has been unable to train properly since early November. As a result, Newcastle’s medical department conducted an internal investigation into the problem, with a return date now becoming clearer.
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Eddie Howe delivers William Osula injury update
Osula will miss Newcastle’s upcoming matches against Crystal Palace, Leeds United, AFC Bournemouth and Manchester City at the very least, with Howe hoping to see the striker back in action before the end of the month.
“He's injured at the moment,” Howe confirmed. “I think the main priority for Will is just to focus on getting fit.
“I don't think he's close, but I think he's improving. So hopefully we'll see him towards the end of the month. Big for us to get him back fit.
“Big for him because I know he's been hugely frustrated by this injury when he had a lot of opportunities to play. Prior to his injury, I thought he was in a really good place and doing well.”
Osula has also been subject to transfer interest from Eintracht Frankfurt and Aston Villa after potential summer moves failed to come to fruition. Newcastle will allow the forward to leave should a suitable offer come in that gives them the option of bringing the player back.
The player would also be open to leaving once he returns to fitness as he has fallen back down the pecking order at St James’ Park.
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NUFC striker situation
Since Osula’s injury, Newcastle have welcomed Yoane Wissa back from an extended spell on the sidelines while Nick Woltemade has remained fit and heads into 2026 as the club’s top scorer so far this season with nine.
Wissa has scored in each of his two starts for Newcastle, including last time out in the 3-1 win at Burnley but the quick turnaround in matches amid a busy fixture schedule could see Woltemade come back into the side against Crystal Palace on Sunday (3pm kick-off).
“The problem for us is with our schedule playing every three, four days, I don't think he's in a condition where he could start regularly at the moment,” Howe admitted last week.