Despite having an excellent season for Newcastle and showing his international class in the Champions League, there was no place for Lewis Hall at World Cup 2026
Newcastle United's Lewis Hall meets Eddie Howe
Newcastle United's Lewis Hall and Eddie Howe(Image: Newcastle United via Getty Images)
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Eddie Howe has revealed he held immediate talks with Lewis Hall after the Newcastle United left-back discovered he had missed out on a World Cup squad place.
Hall was overlooked as Man City's Nico O'Reilly and Tottenham Hotspur's Djed Spence got the nod, while his Toon team-mate Tino Livramento was also in Thomas Tuchel's squad alongside Dan Burn, who can both offer cover on that side of the pitch. Hall's omission sparked surprise on the Premier League circuit after he'd made a couple of appearances in the games against Uruguay and Japan back in the spring.
Hall's tally of four caps, though, won't be added to this summer, and he will have to focus on getting back into the Three Lions squad ahead of the UEFA Nations League campaign next autumn. As Newcastle players such as Burn and Livramento toasted their World Cup call-ups, Howe had to deal with the other side of the announcement.
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When asked about the aftermath of Tuchel's day of phonecalls to England stars, Howe said: "My reaction to that was feeling for Lewis. To support him and talk to him and help him really.
"He is an outstanding player, he is so young and he's got such a lot of his career ahead of him. You don't want it to have a negative impact.
"I don't think it will, I think he is very strong mentally. It was a big disappointment for him."
Hall's place appears to have gone to Spence, and when asked to explain his selection, Tuchel was asked specifically about the Tottenham man's inclusion.
Tuchel said: "He was excellent in every match he played for us. He suffers from a third change of coach at his club, since then he doesn't get a lot of minutes. He suffers from the situation, is part of the situation at Tottenham.
"He loves defending, he's the fastest player in our squad, and he loves defending one-on-ones. That's what makes him a special full-back for us. He can play both sides.
"Before the March camp we said 'you don't get the minutes [with Spurs]' if you come here you have to prove yourself again. And Djed and Tino were excellent against Uruguay. That was the decision I could really trust him."
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