'William Osula came back to hunt them!' - Man Utd brutally trolled as fans find 12-year-old tweet that shows Newcastle hero playing at Old Trafford & posing with Red Devils legends

Copenhagen native Osula did move to England in 2018 when linking up with Sheffield United. After graduating out of the Blades’ youth system, his obvious potential was snapped up by Newcastle as they agreed an initial £10 million ($13m) transfer in the summer of 2024.

Progress at St James’ Park has been slow, with Osula finding himself stuck behind the likes of Alexander Isak and then Nick Woltemade in the Magpies’ pecking order. He remains a raw talent, with some rough edges needing to be smoothed out, but boasts match-altering ability that can illuminate any contest on his day.

That was the case when facing Manchester United at St James’ Park. With the clock ticking into the 90th minute, and with the home side having been reduced to 10 men following the late first-half dismissal of Jacob Ramsey, Osula saw the ball fed down the right flank for him to run onto.

Having just about kept the ball in play, and stayed on his feet after stumbling, the 22-year-old drifted inside onto his left foot, threw a stepover into the mix, and curled a stunning shot beyond Senne Lammens to spark wild scenes of celebration on Tyneside.

Osula could have been making that impact for the United of Manchester, rather than the Newcastle variety, having been invited to Old Trafford as an 11-year-old and seen his talent recognised in the MU Soccer Schools World Skills Final. He was handed a celebratory shield by Red Devils icons Bryan Robson and Gary Pallister.

Magpies fans have delighted in reminding Premier League rivals of what they missed out on. Having been haunted by a familiar face, Manchester United have suffered their first defeat under interim head coach Michael Carrick - with a seven-match unbeaten run being brought to a close.

Osula, who was only introduced off the bench by Eddie Howe in the 85th minute, was delighted to make a dramatic contribution against the Red Devils. He told TNT Sports of enjoying the standout moment in his senior career so far: “That was the best feeling ever. I was so happy for that. When I came on I just prayed that I was going to score and make something happen and thank God that that happened. I was practicing that in training yesterday, just cut in and finish it, so the hard work paid off.”

Howe was just as pleased for a forward that Newcastle have resisted transfer interest in as they believe he can play an important role for them across Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League competition.

Howe said of seeing his team claim a notable scalp on home soil: “We’ve started the game really well and then of course we get a red card. That would have been an easy feeling for the lads to adopt, to feel sorry for ourselves, here we go again. That’s the biggest compliment I can give the lads. They’ve really stood up in that second half and they’ve all given more. They’ve all believed that we can win the game.

“It’s a brilliant end to the game. It’s one of the best emotions that I think I’ve felt and I’m sure a lot of people will say the same. But also, we haven’t done that enough. Hopefully that’s a goal that’s replayed quite a bit because I think we all deserved it.”

Victory over Manchester United has lifted Newcastle up to 12th in the table. They may not be in the top-half of the division as yet, but are only five points adrift of Brentford in seventh. Attention is now about to turn towards knockout action, with an FA Cup fifth-round clash with Manchester City on Saturday set to be followed by the first leg of an eagerly-anticipated Champions League last-16 encounter with La Liga giants Barcelona.