‘I was pleased’… Eddie Howe believes £28m Newcastle player was so good on the ball vs Man City

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Newcastle United endured yet another arduous night against Manchester City on Saturday.

Eddie Howe and his side were dumped out of the FA Cup at the Etihad Stadium thanks to two deflected goals from Bernardo Silva. While there was a slice of luck in that, elements of Newcastle’s defending before the midfielder got a shot away were criticised.

In truth, Howe’s side created very little, aside from Alexander Isak’s chance in the first-half. Indeed, there was very little to cheer on a very rainy Saturday night in Manchester.

Still, Howe was impressed with one player and that is of particular interest.

Indeed, just after Danny Murphy expressed his surprised at Lewis Hall’s lack of action this season, Howe was asked about the 19-year-old.

Lewis Hall: Eddie Howe on Newcastle defender’s performance

Quizzed on Hall by BBC Radio Newcastle, Howe said of Hall: “He used the ball really well, I think he gave us some renewed energy.

“I was pleased with his performance when he came in, this is always a difficult game to come into when you’re losing and chasing the game.

“It’s sometimes a difficult balance to get the want to attack when you have to defend but I thought he did really well.”

Lewis Hall: How did Newcastle defender play against Manchester City?

Though not deemed defensively ready enough to play regular Premier League football, Newcastle didn’t really have to do all that much defending when Hall was introduced just after the hour mark on Saturday night.

With City already comfortably leading, they could afford to sit back a bit.

As such, Hall probably saw more of the ball than he would have done had he started. According to WhoScored data, he found the mark with 92.3% of his 13 passes, as well as his one attempted long ball.

Clearly, not too many definitive judgements can be drawn from that stage of the game but it was promising to see Hall use the ball so well. He was also one of the seven Newcastle players who mustered an interception too.

They may not seem like hugely impactful numbers but it’s all about the process when it comes to Hall ahead of his permanent £28m move to the club. After so much time on the sidelines this season and against a team as good as City, he was hardly ever going to change the game around.

It is, however, promising to see his use of the ball recognised.