Newcastle star Lewis Hall admits he was 'in a dark place' as he opens up about his initial struggles

Newcastle defender Lewis Hall says his lack of first-team playing time left him “in a dark place” last season.

The 20-year-old left-back started just 11 games for the Magpies in all competitions as he struggled to adapt after completing a £28million transfer from Chelsea.

When asked about his first season on Tyneside, Hall told talkSPORT: “It was really difficult… You start to doubt yourself and the things around you. “It can be a pretty dark place after training.”

He admitted that having friends and family around was a great support for him and praised his teammates Tino Livramento, Lewis Miley and Dan Burn for looking after him.

He added: “Tino Livramento, Lewis Miley, players like that, when I trained, I got on well with them. They were players who really made my day.

“I think there are a lot of players, like Dan Burn, for example, who have been very good to me. He always looked after me and understood how I felt when I wasn't playing.”

This season has seen a change of fortune for Hall, who has already made 11 starts this campaign, impressing both in the top flight and in his recent international engagement with England.

acting boss Lee Carsley He gave the youngster his debut against Greece, where he came on at half-time, and also started against the Republic of Ireland earlier this month.

He also has history with the incoming England manager. Thomas Tuchel He handed 18-year-old Hall his Premier League debut in November 2022 when they were at Chelsea in what, incidentally, turned out to be a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle.

Reflecting on his experience under Tuchel, Hall praised the German manager's intelligence and the positive influence of his coaching staff: “His staff were very friendly and I learned a lot from training with them.

“I remember when I worked with them before that their whole team was very friendly. They are all very good coaches and very smart,” Hall said before adding: “I'm looking forward to him taking the job.

As his attention returns to the Magpies, Hall revealed his recent performances are down to his confidence.

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Hall said: “I'm obviously feeling pretty confident at the moment. I think it's easy, when you're feeling confident, to take your foot off the gas.”

“But for me it's a motivation to keep going and keep working hard.

With Newcastle just one point off the top four, Hall is optimistic about the team's potential.

He said: “There are places this team wants to be and things we want to achieve. We're looking to do that this season.

Hall also reflected on the club's aspirations, which include fighting for a top-four finish in the Premier League and chasing Carabao Cup titles: “Achieving those things would be huge for the club.” They will face Brentford in the quarter-finals in December.

Newcastle take on West Ham on Monday night, live on talkSPORT, before traveling to Crystal Palace the following week.