REUTERS/Jon Super
Manchester United already know their ideal Luke Shaw replacement is Lewis Hall, and they must not veer away from that belief. The Red Devils showed interest in signing Hall during the summer window just gone, but their timing saw them miss out on a deal.
By the time United tried to advance their interest, Newcastle United had already sold Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon, and they were on their way to selling Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal. As a result, they refused to lose Hall, and they doubled down on their belief in the talented 22-year-old with a new contract after the transfer window had closed.
That new deal will put paid to any hope of Man Utd being able to sign Hall in January, but next summer, Michael Carrick and co must spend what they need to in a bid to land the full-back, even if they end up paying a little over the odds.
Hall dazzles in Newcastle win
Newcastle United left-back Lewis Hall celebrating
Newcastle defeated Hull City side that has started well on Saturday, and Hall played a central role.
The 22-year-old provided an assist for the first goal and scored the second with a brilliant sweeping strike. The full-back was busy at both ends of the pitch, providing as many as seven clearances and three couple of shots. And of his 113 touches in the game, which was the most by any Newcastle player, only three were unsuccessful.
He was DAZN's MVP of the game and the Man of the Match in local website ChronicleLive's player ratings.
Lewis Hall's stats vs Hull
Assists: 1
Goals: 1
Shots: 2
Key passes: 2
Pass success: 92.4%
Touches: 113 (3 unsuccessful)
Clearances: 7
Blocked shots: 3
WhoScored rating: 7.54
Man Utd have a left-back problem
REUTERS/Scott Heppell
The biggest issue Man Utd failed to address in the summer transfer window was the left-back issue. Shaw is now 31 years of age and has always had trouble with injuries, and beyond him, there are no real senior options beyond Patrick Dorgu, who continues to look like a winger trying to play left-back, which he is.
Dorgu's versatility is nice to have, but it's not good enough for a team with Man Utd's ambitions to be counting on a player playing out of position in a key position. That should be an emergency-only option.
It's an area that has to be addressed, and Hall is the ideal option. He is going to be expensive, but at 22 years of age, he is a worthy investment. He's a modern full-back who can both defend and get up the wing and be a creative force, much like Shaw in his prime years.
There will be other options, but few proven Premier League commodities with exactly what United are looking for, and with so much potential still to reach.
Roy Keane (Man Utd)
Roy Keane (Man Utd)