Newcastle manager Eddie Howe claims the best is yet to come from summer signing Lewis Hall.

The teenager has only played two matches since arriving from Chelsea on an initial loan deal but Howe says he is in no doubt that the fullback will make his mark once he has settled into life in the North East:

“He’s a talented player He can play various positions for us, which in our current position we are going to need. Lewis has been training well. He’s been adapting to quite a big change in his life so for such a young player to move from London and settle in here, I think he’s done it well.”

“The best of him is yet to come, without a doubt. When you get an opportunity you have to take it, and Lewis has done that. His performance against Manchester City was very good, he’s a player we really like.”

Hall has been waiting patiently for another first-team opportunity

After moving to St James’ Park in mid-August, the 19-year-old has only played 54 minutes for the Magpies. His debut was a 10-minute cameo in the 8-0 win over Sheffield United back in September.

As Howe mentions, Hall’s second match came when he started the 1-0 win over Manchester City in the Carabao Cup. However, he was replaced at half-time. With Newcastle facing Manchester United in the same competition on Wednesday evening. the defender will be keen to get another chance to impress.

The fullback will move to Newcastle next summer

Despite barely featuring for his new team so far, the Magpies cannot back out of the deal to sign Hall on a permanent basis at the end of the season.

Howe seems happy enough with Hall’s contributions so far but the club is set to pay £28m (plus £7m in add-ons) regardless of how well he performs between now and May.

You can watch the documentary – Newcastle United: The Road Back To Europe on Shots! TV here