Newcastle United defender Lewis Hall faces a crucial period when it comes to claiming his place back in the England squad
Newcastle's Anthony Gordon and Lewis Hall in action for England
Newcastle's Anthony Gordon and Lewis Hall in action for England
View Image
The next few months will be huge for Newcastle United defender Lewis Hall. The left-back could make only his second Premier League start for the Magpies since February when they host Manchester City following the international break.
It will hopefully draw a line under nine months of injury frustration for the 21-year-old and end a period which saw him miss out on Carabao Cup glory with United at Wembley last March.
Eddie Howe has stressed that he will continue to be cautious with the defender, knowing that throwing him in at the deep end too soon would be unwise after his recovery from his most recent groin injury, picked up in a brief substitute appearance at Union Saint-Gilloise.
The timing of Hall's return could not have been much better, for both the player, his club and Thomas Tuchel's England.
Dan Burn's red card against Brentford means Hall can slot straight back into his left-back position against Man City, and while it would be no surprise to see a spell of rotation as he builds match fitness, he remains United's first-choice left-back.
In the short term, his goals will remain focused on winning and keeping his place in Howe's starting XI, and then helping Newcastle regain the consistency which has eluded them for much of this season.
Hall was a vital part of the side which performed so well last winter, and a similar transformation is needed this time around if United are to catapult their way back up the Premier League table.
However, there will be longer-term goals on his mind, with a place in England's World Cup squad very much up for grabs.
Hall is yet to play under Tuchel, with his injury last spring coming just before his first matches as England head coach. So far he has missed five international get-togethers with the Three Lions after breaking into the senior squad last November under Lee Carsley.
But fears that others may have stolen a march in the battle for a squad place have proven premature.
Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly is perhaps his most prominant rival, but the Gunners' full-back was left ouf of the current squad in favour of Mancester City's Nico O'Relly.
Lewis-Skelly has found first-team football harder to come by this season after a breakthrough campaign last term, with Tuchel explaining that a lack of gametime was behind his decision.
"Myles was a very good team-mate and played for us in the last camp in the World Cup qualifier in Riga," Tuchel said of the Arsenal defender.
"Myles simply needs more starts, more minutes. Now came a time when Nico O'Reilly had so many starts in that position, so he is slightly ahead for this camp."
Tuchel has employed several players at left-back in Hall's absence, including club team-mate Tino Livramento, who also deputised on the left flank at club level.
However, Livramento remains a right-back by choice, with the pair expected to operate in tandem in United's backline in the near future.
Along with Lewis-Skelly, Tottenham's Djed Spence and Chelsea's Reece James have started at left-back, but none have been regular picks.
It leaves the door wide open for Hall to reclaim his place not only in the squad, but in Tuchel's first-team plans for the World Cup.
He already has an excellent understanding on the left flank with United team-mate Anthony Gordon, who has become a Tuchel favourite in recent months.
The immediate priority is to ensure he is injury free and to hit the form for Newcastle which elevated him to England level last season.
But once he's put his injury frustrations behind him, there is no reason why he can't look forward to a hugely exciting 2026.