Lewis Hall has revealed he views himself as a midfielder but “maturity” forced him to accept his position change.
Newcastle United stumped up a reported £28million to sign the left-back, who initially signed on loan in 2023. Supporters grew frustrated by Hall’s lack of game time but, in hindsight, the move worked wonders.
Eddie Howe stayed patient and moulded the 20-year-old into his rigorous Toon regime. Newcastle are now reaping the rewards, with Hall arguably the club’s most improved player this season.
That upturn in form has resulted in the defender earning his first and second England caps at the back end of last year. Ironically, the manager who gave Hall a Chelsea debut against Chesterfield three years ago, Thomas Tuchell, will now oversee his international career.
The youngster opened up about a tactical shift that helped catapult his football career. Hall told Optus Sport: “When I played that game (Chelsea debut) under him I was very young, very quiet and didn’t have too much of a relationship with him because I kept quiet.
“But I was very grateful for the opportunity he gave me. I don’t think I can read too much into when I played under him before, but I’m hoping I can impress him in the games coming up. Since then if there was ever a shortage at left-back I was always the man to go play there.
“And then slowly I started to find myself playing more games there, then at one point I was thinking, ‘I am actually a midfielder!’ But there was a point where I had to accept that I’ve got a better chance of a career at left-back than in midfield. Not that I wanted to accept that! For me, I had to be mature and realise that was what was best for me.”
