Newcastle United have been dealt two major injury setbacks in the last few days, but one of Eddie Howe’s players is just about back to full fitness.
With a busy schedule in the offing, the Magpies need as many of their top players as possible, especially when there are games against the likes of Barcelona and Arsenal in the pipeline.
Unfortunately, it has been confirmed that Newcastle United will be without Yoane Wissa and Jacob Ramsey for the next month. Wissa sustained a knee injury on international duty, while Ramsey hurt his ankle following a challenge by Sean Longstaff, who left Newcastle in July.
The injury to Wissa is a major blow, in particular, with the 29-year-old yet to make his debut for Newcastle after signing on deadline day for around £55m. Wissa, who took the number nine shirt on Tyneside, must now wait until after the October international break to prove why the Magpies spent so much on him.
While Wissa and Ramsey nurse their injuries, there is a lot of positive news surrounding young Lewis Hall, who is only just returning from an ankle injury.
Lewis Hall arrives at St James' Park ahead of a Premier League game between Newcastle United and Wolves.
Photo by Harriet Massey/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Newcastle United coaching staff delighted with Lewis Hall’s progress
It has been a tough six months for Hall, who was forced to watch the end of the 2024/25 season from the sidelines after sustaining an injury against Liverpool at Anfield. Hall missed Newcastle’s Carabao Cup win in March and is yet to make a full start for the Magpies since returning to training.
Hall, who joined Newcastle for £28m in 2024, has made a couple of appearances so far this season, coming on as a late substitute during games against Liverpool and Leeds United. Fans would have expected the 21-year-old to start against Wolves last weekend, but Howe opted against bringing him back into the starting XI.
In a Q&A with The Athletic, Chris Waugh was asked for an update about Hall and why he has not been playing as much as fans would like.
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Waugh confirmed that Hall is fit again, but as he did not have a full pre-season, Newcastle have been careful to throw him back into the starting line up. However, Waugh adds that the international break was deemed a ‘crucial fortnight’ to step up Hall’s training load, and that Newcastle’s backroom staff were ‘pleased’ with how he reacted to it.
With Newcastle in the middle of a very busy schedule, there is a good chance that Hall will be brought back into the starting XI, with Howe almost guaranteed to rotate his squad.
The 2025/26 season is a huge one for Lewis Hall
Eddie Howe confirmed that Hall will play more now that he is fit, but the 47-year-old did not confirm exactly when he would return to the starting line-up.
The feeling is that he will be brought back in when Newcastle play Bradford in the Carabao Cup later in September.
Hall will be keen on playing as much football as physically possible this season, because the 2025/26 campaign is an opportunity for him to cement his place in the England squad ahead of the World Cup.
The Three Lions are almost qualified for the tournament in North America next year, and with Thomas Tuchel working as head coach, there is a very good chance that Hall will be on the plane if he can find his way back into Newcastle’s starting XI.
Hall worked under Tuchel while the pair were at Chelsea, and now they could reunite for England. The October international break could see Hall return to the England squad now that he is fully fit, giving him all the confidence he needs to push on.