The real reason why Eddie Howe is not starting Lewis Hall right now

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Lewis Hall will not add to his limited number of appearances for Newcastle United tonight.

That is because the Magpies are taking on Chelsea, who technically still own Lewis Hall. The 19-year-old is currently just on loan at Newcastle United, and is unable to face his parent club at Stamford Bridge on Monday night.

But even if he was eligible, it is unlikely that he would have featured. The teenager is struggling to get into Eddie Howe‘s team, having made just 11 appearances so far.

It has been a tough start to life on Tyneside, leading to suggestions that he might not even sign for the club permanently in the summer.

However, they have been shut down. Hall is still on course to sign for Newcastle United, with his deal depending on how well the Magpies do rather than the player himself.

But it is concerning that he has barely featured, and now the Athletic have explained why Howe is reluctant to turn to the youngster.

Why Lewis Hall is not starting for Newcastle United

According to the Athletic, Newcastle staff do not think that Hall is ready to start regularly at left-back in the Premier League due to his defensive shortcomings.

Hall has only started one league game for the Magpies so far. That came in November, when Newcastle lost 2-0 to Bournemouth. He was replaced at half time that night, which has happened on two other occasions as well.

It is clear that Hall needs to sharpen up defensively. But, in his defence, he is still incredibly young and has not played his entire career in that position.

He was initially a midfielder at Chelsea, before transitioning into a left-back. However, it looks like he still needs a bit more fine-tuning before getting into Howe’s team.

But there is no shame in that. He is a hard manager to please, while it is a major challenge to fully win his trust.

Hall will do that in time, but he is still not ready. All he can do is continue working hard in training, and do his best to understand what Howe wants and needs from him defensively.

Until then, the substitute bench will continue to be his friend.