Eddie Howe on Lewis Hall's Newcastle United return
Lewis Hall returned to action for Newcastle United after month than a month out with a hamstring injury.
Newcastle United were handed a welcome injury boost ahead of Sunday’s trip to Brentford in the Premier League as Lewis Hall got back on the pitch this week.
Hall had been out for over a month with a hamstring injury picked up in the 4-0 Champions League win at Union Saint-Gilloise. The 21-year-old was an unused substitute against West Ham United on Sunday but came off the bench in the second half of Newcastle’s 2-0 Champions League win against Athletic Club at St James’ Park on Wednesday night.
After an impressive start to his 2024/25 campaign, Hall picked up a serious foot injury that ruled him out for around five months. The young defender has been limited to just two starts for Newcastle since February and, as such, will be managed carefully.
But Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe is well aware just how important a player a fully-fit Hall can be in his side. And there were glimpses of it on Wednesday night after he replaced Dan Burn at left-back.
Hall’s confidence and composure on the ball was on full display as he pushed forward well and helped The Magpies see out the comfortable win.
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Eddie Howe provides Lewis Hall verdict after injury return
Although Howe refrained from using Hall at West Ham, it was always his plan to give him a run-out in the Champions League.
Howe told The Gazette: “Yes, it was my plan to try and give him minutes. I can never make that guarantee, but it was in my mind to use him today.
“It was in my mind not to use him at West Ham, because he’d only had one training session and he’s worked so hard to get back. We don’t want to lose him now, having done all the hard work. So I thought it was the right time to introduce him [v Athletic Club].
“I thought he played very well, I was really pleased with him. We still have to have a level of caution with how much he can play, but positive steps for him.
“He’s trying to find his rhythm again and all the pitch dimensions and geography he needs to produce his best performances.”
But as Hall’s fitness improves, a selection dilemma unfolds for Howe.
Eddie Howe’s selection dilemma
In the absence of Hall and Tino Livramento, Dan Burn has been playing slightly out of position at left-back for Newcastle.
Burn scored his first goal of the season in the 2-0 Champions League win on Wednesday night and had previously shone in a centre-back role. But with the more natural left-back in Hall now available for selection and Livramento closing in on a return as well, Howe faces a tricky defensive decision.
Hall and Livramento are both ahead of Burn in the left-back pecking order when fully fit. But should either return to the side, Burn will still be pushing to keep his place in the side at centre-back despite the solid form of Sven Botman and Malick Thiaw.
When asked about the selection headache, Burn said: ““I think it's something we have to ask the manager, but I think it's good now that we've got, especially those two lads coming back, because they are very big players for us, and we've got good quality in every position now, so I think the manager's spoiled this season, there'll probably be a lot more rotation this year.
“I think that's something that we've probably not leaned on as much in the past, we've always been quite a settled team, but now we have good quality in every single position, so we should be able to take players in and out without the standards of our performance being there.”
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