William Osula may just have arrived at Newcastle United. Despite netting his first goal for the club in the January win over Bromley, it was Saturday's FA Cup clash with Birmingham City that earned him even more praise given the match was televised around the world.

Osula helped Newcastle to their 3-2 win over the Midlands outfit, chipping in with two assists at the top end of the pitch. Yet it was other aspects of his game which saw the aforementioned praise aimed his way.

It was a physical and scrappy affair at St Andrew's. Birmingham ensured Newcastle did not have it all their own way - and Osula, in particular, was targeted by the hosts' as he attempted to terrorise them down the Magpies' right-flank.

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The versatile, raw forward clashed with opposite number Alex Cochrane on a number of occasions as the pair went toe-to-toe. He was put on the ground by Marc Leonard in the first-half and went on to clash with Birmingham hitman Jay Stansfield in the closing stages of the opening period.

Osula stood his ground, getting to his feet after the last-mentioned incident. The fact he was involved in minor scuffles soon after earned him a rather unfair yellow card as he was taken out of the situation by Newcastle's senior stars.

The TV cameras may have missed it but BBC commentator Guy Mowbray noticed Sean Longstaff offering some advice to the 21-year-old as things threatened to boil over. "I saw Sean Longstaff went over and had a calming word," he said live on air. "I hope he doesn't calm down. I want him on the edge as he's played all half."

In truth, Osula kept his cool throughout. Despite being targeted by Birmingham's experienced operators, the summer signing didn't let the occasion get to him.

Fans have called for Eddie Howe to hand Osula more game time following his summer arrival. Instead, the Newcastle boss continues to be patient with the £10m signing. Now Callum Wilson has returned, there will be more time for the former Sheffield United forward to improve behind the scenes before being unleashed further down the line.

Saturday did see Osula used in a different role. With Wilson through the middle, the youngster replaced Jacob Murphy on the right. With no January replacement for Miguel Almiron, there is an opportunity for Osula to fill that void until at least the summer window.

“Will is a multi-talented player. I don’t see him just being a pure number nine," Howe said last month. "He has played wide before so that is an option that we could look at.

“I think he’s doing well. He’s on track. He is developing. Looking at him as a striker, he’s competing with Alex [Isak] for a place, which isn’t something you necessarily want to be doing at the minute with Alex’s form.

“I said this to Will when he joined. He’s learning off two of the best strikers that he could possibly work with currently and he needs to absorb as much information from both Alex and Callum [Wilson]. Two great role models for him to help him in his development. He’s very much here at the moment. Beyond this season, we’ll try to take the next steps that benefit Will and us.”

Newcastle supporters have had to be patient with Osula, who already ranks as a fan-favourite despite limited game time. Performances like Saturday's are a reminder the Magpies have a top talent on their hands.