‘Solid’ - Alan Shearer singles out surprise Newcastle United player for lavish praise
Alan Shearer has named Lewis Hall in his Premier League team of the week following the 1-1 draw with Manchester City.
One of Eddie Howe’s biggest dilemmas before the game was whether to play Hall or summer recruit Lloyd Kelly. As it happened, the Toon boss placed faith in the 20-year-old and he repaid him with arguably his best performance to date.
Hall struggled to adapt to Tyneside life during his initial months as a Newcastle player. By his own admission, Howe’s training methods were rigorous and he needed time to adjust following the Chelsea move.
Stars like Bruno Guimaraes and Sven Botman were also eased into the team under Howe - who is renowned for his intense regime. Newcastle fans saw glimpses of Hall’s talents earlier this year as he was given a regular run at left-back.
Saturday posed his most difficult challenge yet as Man City travelled to St James’ Park. While his attacking output was never questioned, Hall was called upon defensively to contain Bernardo Silva and then, later on, Savinho.
He passed the test with flying colours and now looks set to pin down the left-back slot under Howe. Club icon Shearer was impressed, naming Hall in his team of the week.
“A really solid performance,” he told the Premier League website. “He helped limit a free-scoring Manchester City side to just a single goal.”
Also included in Shearer’s side were Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven and Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer. James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Brennan Johnson, as well as Ange Postecoglou as manager, makes his team extremely Spurs-centric following their 3-0 win over Manchester United.