'Machine': Will Osula gives brilliant one-word summation of Newcastle United man's performance against Bradford

Eddie Howe made seven changes once again as he named his team to take on Bradford in the Carabao Cup last night.

After making seven changes after Barcelona, for his team faced Bournemouth, the fact that Howe made seven changes again, and all three teams were remarkably different, shows the strength in depth he now has at his disposal.

One area where Eddie Howe has many more options available to him after just one signing this summer is in defence. Malick Thiaw was brought in from AC Milan to strike up a partnership with Sven Botman as the younger pair look to succeed Fabian Schar and Dan Burn.

Howe also has Jamaal Lascelles back to fitness and the likes of Emil Krafth and Alex Murphy, who can serve dual roles as full-backs and centre-backs.

Will Osula hailed Malick Thiaw as a 'machine'

Malick Thiaw has been handed a golden opportunity to show Eddie Howe that he's ready for the challenge in the Premier League after Fabian Schar picked up another concussion and is being forced to sit out three games.

It's an opportunity that the German is taking with both hands, and his teammates are noticing it too.

After another strong performance at the back last night alongside Sven Botman, Thiaw posted an image of the duo on Instagram, which attracted the standard praise from teammates, but it was Will Osula's one-word message that truly stood out, calling Thiaw a 'machine'.

Sven Botman's knees have a lot to prove

Sven Botman is still getting back to his best after some bad luck with knee injuries over the last couple of seasons, but we're already starting to see the promise of what a fantastic partnership we could have at the back for seasons to come.

The Dutchman will be entering the final 18 months of his contract in January, so he has to be sure to seize his opportunities when given in order to play his way into getting a new deal.

We all know he has the talent, but now there's a huge question mark over his head after his knee injuries. So far, he's looking good, but how fragile are those knees? Only time will tell.