The Chronicle (South Tyneside and Durham)
Hall gives Howe ‘food for thought’
NOVEMBER OCTOBER SEPTEMBER AUGUST
Missed games in the middle of December after suffering a second groin injury of the campaign.
Dislocated shoulder injury before Christmas leading to Martin Dubravka taking over inbetween the sticks. Yet to return but is back in light training.
Picked up a hamstring blow against Fulham but returned later in the month after missing the trips to Chelsea and Luton Town.
Lasted just 14 minutes against Fulham after leaving the pitch clutching his hamstring. Missed the next outing against Chelsea but returned soon after.
Yet another injury for the skipper. Lasted 37 minutes against Luton Town and missed out entirely against Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day.
Sidelined with a foot problem in late November and into December. Has been playing through the pain ever since.
Suffered a recurrence of his Achilles issue in November after working hard behind the scenes. Missed key Champions League games.
Withdrew from international duty after suffering a hamstring injury in Newcastle United’s 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth.
A second hamstring injury of the season forced Wilson to miss five matches; four in the Premier League and one Champions League outing.
Suffered a repeat of the dislocated shoulder injury suffered at the end of October. This time he was forced to go under the knife, missing months.
Landed awkwardly during Newcastle’s 1-0 win over Arsenal on Saturday and was taken off as a result at half-time. Missed a hefty chunk of the business end of
2024.
Lasted a matter of minutes against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup and required surgery on his hamstring.
Dislocated his shoulder against Borussia Dortmund. Returned after a few games before suffering a similar fate.
Picked up a back injury which has forced him to miss the majority of the campaign. Returned to full fitness in recent weeks and has impressed in cameo appearances.
Suffered another groin injury in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund. Missed key games at home and in Europe before returning before the turn of the year.
Asked to come off early during the win over Burnley and missed early Champions League outings with a subsequent hamstring problem.
The first hamstring injury of the season for Wilson. Missed games with Burnley, Manchester City and Paris Saint-germain.
Played through an initial ACL injury for two games before eventually succumbing to the issue. Decided against surgery but still missed months. Has now gone under the knife for the problem.
A bizarre foot problem that forced him to miss months of action in his first season on Tyneside.
Suffered a minor injury to his thigh while away on international duty.
Ankle injury sustained against Liverpool. Would miss the 3-0 defeat to Brighton at the Amex Stadium.
Was still recovering from an ACL injury at the start of the season. Eventually made his return in October 2023.
AS Newcastle United trailed 3-1 at home to West Ham United on Saturday, it was a case of enough is enough for Eddie Howe and there was one player in particular he was keen to hand a chance to.
Howe’s call of “Hall-y” could be heard clearly within a crowd of 52,199 and the soon-to-be permanent signing from Chelsea was thrust into the action.
For a player that has been an unused substitute 15 times out of 24 squad appearances this season, it must have been music to the ears of Lewis Hall, even with his side losing.
Hall’s permanent transfer to Newcastle should soon be confirmed but Howe has hinted he could be used a lot more in the final nine matches. The £28m man is close to triggering the move based on squad appearance and final league position criteria.
For all Howe has been questioned about his approach will the 19-year-old, the head coach seemed genuinely pleased that the left-sided player was involved in such a great comeback win.
Howe said: “He made a real difference on Saturday and I thought he came on against Manchester City and did really well. That’s his part of the bargain, when he plays he has to do well enough to try and stay in, so he’s given me a lot of food for thought.”
Hall had not played too much in the first half of the season as Howe explained he had a few concerns about the player defensively.
Howe, who enjoys working with players on the training ground, said: “It’s huge for him and it’s huge for us because he’s done an incredible amount of work behind the scenes to work on various aspects of his game, as we would with any young player.”