It is two years since Lewis Hall played his last game for England but he surely has to be on Thomas Tuchel’s teamsheet when their World Cup campaign kicks off in Dallas.
On a night that renewed hope for Eddie Howe and Newcastle, Hall – for once – did not swipe the headlines. Perhaps a rare early misstep that allowed Vitinha the space to fire past Nick Pope prevented him from collecting the praise his performance warranted.
But in many ways it was his ability to bounce back from that setback which set this display apart. Up against some of the best attackers in Europe on the biggest stage in club football, Hall came through another examination with flying colours.
For Tuchel it should be a no-brainer. With apologies to Nico O’Reilly, who did little wrong in England’s World Cup qualifying victory lap back in November, Hall is putting together a body of work that makes him the outstanding left-back in England. There’s an argument that there aren’t too many playing better across Europe right now.
As good as he has been, Newcastle’s increasing reliance on Hall in the biggest games presents a double challenge for director of football Ross Wilson.
Hall has to be in England’s XI (Photo: Getty)First off, he is the club’s only recognised, specialist left-back. There are a few days left for Newcastle to change that but sources have told The i Paper that there is little chance of substantive progress on business before Monday’s deadline.
It is a responsible stance given Newcastle’s long-term plans and PSR position. It was a position signposted way back in December, too, but it is a risk given Hall’s injury record. February already looked like an exhausting fixture list and now they face the sapping prospect of two Champions League play-off games in a run that begins at Anfield on Saturday night.
Secondly Wilson needs to start engaging Hall on new terms as a priority. While his contract – never fully disclosed other than being a “long-term deal” – is understood to have multiple years left it needs to reflect his growing importance to the Howe project. Renewing while Newcastle have momentum is a sensible strategy.
And momentum is what Newcastle recovered in Paris, even if they emerged from a big European night with only a moral victory to show for their heroic efforts.
It has been a difficult, knotty season where faith has sometimes been required in the face of inconsistency and some average performances. But if anyone deserves that time and patience it is Howe, who would be scratching his head at some of the online vitriol if he ever consulted social media.
The Newcastle manager provided evidence of his progress – both in his team and as a coach – by rotating his line-up and refreshing his system at the Parc des Princes.
The flurry of games has robbed Howe of the ability to make changes on the training ground this season, which is undoubtedly the biggest strength of someone who loves to coach, but there was a clear and defined gameplan in Paris. After a rocky start as players got to grips with the intricacies of it against excellent opponents, they flourished.
Jacob Ramsey rose to the occasion. His role was two-fold: to squeeze Vitinha and then be brave on the ball going forward. He did both brilliantly. It was a reminder not to rush to judgement on some of the summer signings, who are still adapting to Howe-ball.
It is not an easy thing to do. As Anthony Gordon, who struggled at first, admitted on Monday physically it is a big challenge to press as he wants but there are also movements and patterns that need to be digested.
Once upon a time it was Hall who was in that category. Two years ago when Newcastle were last in Paris in the Champions League he couldn’t even get on the pitch, despite his team running on fumes. He wasn’t trusted then and it felt like Newcastle – who had an obligation to convert his loan into a £35m permanent deal – had misstepped.
His progress since then is another reminder that Howe deserves trust.
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