Jamie Redknapp has hailed Everton-owned striker Oumar Niasse.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp
Pundit Jamie Redknapp has told the Daily Mail that he thinks Oumar Niasse is finally showing that he can be a match-winner with Hull City.
Niasse, 26, scored twice for Hull during Saturday’s crucial 2-1 home win over Swansea City, with the Senegal international making a huge impact as a substitute.
Saturday’s win has given Hull renewed hope of achieving Premier League survival, and manager Marco Silva will now be hoping to see Niasse go on a scoring run between now and the end of the season.
Brought into help Hull’s goal return, the Everton-owned attacker has now hit four goals in ten appearances for the Tigers, with only four of those appearances coming as a starter.
Niasse is only on loan from Everton, but he has endured a miserable time at Goodison Park, and looks unlikely to ever return to Merseysider under Ronald Koeman’s management.
Koeman banished Niasse to the Everton’s under-23’s despite only arriving from Lokomotiv Moscow in January 2016, with Roberto Martinez splashing the cash to lure him over from Russia.
Niasse’s Everton record sits at no goals in seven games, and having failed to even play one minute of first-team football under Koeman before being sent to Hull, it’s safe to say that he will never play under the Dutchman.
Hull City’s Oumar Niasse scores against Swansea City
Now, pundit Jamie Redknapp has actually raved about Niasse, telling the Daily Mail that he feels the striker has undergone a ‘transformation’ at Hull thanks to Silva’s faith in him, and thinks that he is now showing how he can be a match-winner after a torrid spell with Everton.
“Oumar Niasse’s transformation from Everton outcast to Hull saviour is all down to the faith shown in him by Marco Silva,” said Redknapp. “With Romelu Lukaku above him in the pecking order at Goodison, Niasse found himself training with the reserves and Under 21s.
“When a player knows they are not part of a manager’s plans their confidence evaporates. They can get stuck in a downward spiral. Silva has spotted that Niasse has the ability to be Hull’s match-winner and made him feel wanted. That is all Niasse needed to show his quality,” he added.
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