Lewis Hall's 45-day Newcastle United transformation tees up imminent Chelsea reunion

Just 45 days ago Newcastle United left-back Lewis Hall warmed the bench at Craven Cottage as Fulham tore the Magpies apart in the capital. The 20-year-old was called upon from the sidelines at half-time as Eddie Howe rolled the dice in the hopes of turning the game on its head - and since then, he hasn't looked back.

Reliving that tricky period of the campaign, it is easy to forget that Hall, who is now one of the first names on Newcastle's pre-match team sheet, was locked in a real battle with Lloyd Kelly for a starting spot at left-back. After all, the Fulham defeat was the fifth league fixture of the campaign and the third time Hall had found himself out of the starting side.

Fast forward to present day and the situation could hardly be more different. Hall, who picked up a Man of the Match award in Saturday's win over Arsenal to follow up his Newcastle Player of the Month accolade for October, is absolutely excelling on the left side of Howe's defence and has firmly fought off any competition for his place in such a short period of time.

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Since the Fulham loss, the former Chelsea star has started five top flight clashes on the spin, playing 90 minutes in all but two where he was withdrawn shortly before second-half stoppage time. It has taken time after a £28m transfer fee and a tricky debut season on loan - but Hall is now showing why Newcastle moved to poach him from west London.

The immediate future looks bright and it would be both a crying shame and a travesty should the young full-back not earn a maiden call up to the England senior squad this week. Lee Carsley is overseeing the final two games of his interim period and knows Hall well from their time at youth level.

The versatile Newcastle star has impressed for the Three Lions' under-21 side in both September and October international breaks but has since taken his game to a new level on club duties. Now, a reunion with former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel looks imminent in the coming months as the new England boss begins to assess how his 2025 England setup will look.

“I don’t think that I necessarily started too well at the club, but the fans stuck by me and this season in particular I’ve had a lot more to offer,” Hall said last week.

“It’s taken a couple of games to find my rhythm and flow, but now I feel a lot more confident so hopefully I can show more of what I can bring to the team and help us to achieve big things.”