Lewis Hall’s return to action was the icing on the cake of another excellent Champions League night for Newcastle United.
While the Magpies’ Premier League form is inconsistent, they are having no such problems in the Champions League.
Newcastle United beat Athletic Club 2-0 on Wednesday night to take their tally to nine points, leaving them sixth in the league table. They sit in between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, which says it all.
It was far from a vintage Eddie Howe performance, but his side did enough. And the one big positive coming out of the victory was Lewis Hall’s return to action.
He came on as a substitute in the second half, making his first appearance since the win over USG at the start of October. A hamstring injury had left Hall on the sidelines ever since, but he was able to make his comeback on Wednesday.
Lewis Hall in action in the Champions League game between Newcastle United and Athletic Club.
Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Eddie Howe delighted with ‘massive’ Lewis Hall after Champions League win
The 21-year-old replaced Newcastle United goalscorer Dan Burn for the final 25 minutes, and he maximised his opportunity.
Hall was outstanding during his cameo, and he certainly impressed his manager Eddie Howe.
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After the win, Howe praised Hall during an interview with Newcastle United’s official website.
“Really pleasing [to see him back], also with how he played,” he said.
“It was a great little cameo for him. Hopefully that will give him a lot of confidence in his body and how he feels.
“He’s a massive player for us so it was great to introduce him back into the fold.”
Lewis Hall hands Eddie Howe a selection dilemma
Hall has been a big miss at left-back this season. While Tino Livramento did well there at the start of the season, it would be better if both players were in the starting XI.
As for Dan Burn, he has also done well at left-back. Howe has been pleased with Burn’s contributions in that position, and they came at a time when Sven Botman made himself undroppable at centre-back.
That was not a problem as long as Burn was unchallenged at left-back, but that is no longer the case. Suddenly he has Hall pushing to win his place back, and he showed during his cameo against Athletic Club why his qualities have been such a big miss.
His ability to get out of tight situations was excellent, while he offers more pace and width than Burn.
The contrast is that Hall does not have Burn’s aerial ability, leadership qualities or physicality. Those attributes are a big reason why Howe likes to have Burn in his starting XI.
It leaves the Newcastle United manager with a dilemma. He either keeps Burn at left-back, which seems a waste of Hall’s talents. Alternatively he could drop Burn, which would also be harsh and result in a pivotal player being left on the bench. The third option would see Burn replace Botman at centre-back, which feels unlikely given the latter’s flourishing partnership with Malick Thiaw.
Howe suddenly has a massive selection problem on his hands, but it is the kind of problem that he will relish. There is real competition for places, and that should only raise standards even further.