- Hall joined the Magpies on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy of £28 million
- However, the deal included performance-related criteria that must be met
- Newcastle was naive against AC Milan and now Fulham is in good form It all starts
Eddie Howe cannot confirm whether Chelsea loanee Lewis Hall will still be a Newcastle player next season, meaning he could still return to Stamford Bridge.
The 19-year-old joined the Magpies in August on a season-long loan with an obligation to purchase for £28 million, with a further £7 million in add-ons. The deal included performance-related criteria that had to be met, and to date Hall has only made six appearances. In three of his four starts he was substituted at half-time.
It is expected that the left-back will fulfill the conditions and remain at St James' Park, but given his lack of involvement it has led to questions about his future. Asked if the criteria had already been put into action, Howe said: “You're probably asking the wrong guy, I'm not 100 percent sure.”
A club official then intervened when Howe was asked directly whether Hall would be a Newcastle player after this campaign. But would the decision be made by Howe?
“It's not mine,” the head coach said. “For me he is here now, he is a Newcastle player. But I think there are certain criteria he has to meet.”
Eddie Howe said he is 'not 100 per cent sure' whether Lewis Hall will play at Newcastle next season, despite having a £28million purchase commitment for the Chelsea loanee
The deal included performance-related criteria that had to be met, and to date Hall has only made six appearances
Hall is expected to remain at St James' Park, although this marks a shock return to Chelsea
Your browser does not support iframes.
Howe added: “Lewis is a very talented player. He has enormous technical qualities. He is creative and has a very good final delivery. He is a very good attacking full-back. He needs to learn certain things defensively, which we are working on with him.
'But he is still young and has also recently become a left back. There has to be a bit of understanding that it might take some time to get the defensive solidity we are looking for, but he is a player with such great promise.”
Meanwhile, Newcastle have been hit by injury again after Harvey Barnes suffered a setback in his recovery from a toe injury.
The £38m winger is expected to return this week but won't be seen until January at the earliest. There are fears his absence could be extended if he requires surgery, which could mean his season is over.
“Unfortunately he has not had any surgery on his foot, the specialist thought he would be fine and we are still hoping that it is not longer term and that he does not need surgery,” Howe said. 'But we are still in the phase of whether he will come back or not.
Harvey Barnes has been struggling with injury and won't be seen until January at the earliest, but there are fears his season could be over if he requires surgery.
'It's a setback to some extent. He has felt a bit of pain in his foot again but we are hoping it is not a permanent setback as he will need surgery but there is still a chance of that happening so we will see.”
Joe Willock is also out until January after a recent setback in his return from an Achilles injury. Anthony Gordon (hamstring) is doubtful for Saturday's visit of Fulham, while Kieran Trippier is suspended.