Eddie Howe 'delighted' as Newcastle United prepare to secure first summer signing for 'club record' fee

Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe praised Lewis Hall for his ‘terrific’ display against Manchester United on Wednesday night.

Hall scored his first Premier League goal for The Magpies in the 3-2 defeat, adding to his goal scored in the 3-0 Carabao Cup win at Old Trafford earlier in the season. The 19-year-old has started six of Newcastle’s last eight matches in the Premier League and has impressed Howe after a slow start to his loan spell from Chelsea.

“I thought he was terrific [against Manchester United],” Howe admitted. “The goal was an unbelievable finish from him from distance and he is capable of that.

“But I thought he looked really good defensively, he looked very good on the ball and for such a young player he showed real maturity so delighted with how he's progressing.”

Newcastle have an obligation to make Hall’s loan move permanent in the summer for £28million after performance-related criteria were met to trigger the deal. £28million will smash Newcastle’s club record fee paid for a teenager which currently stands at the £8.5million paid to Sporting CP for Hugo Viana in 2002.

Hall is likely to keep his place at left-back for Newcastle’s final match of the Premier League season at Brentford on Sunday. The Magpies currently sit seventh in the table and will be relying on results from elsewhere in order to secure European football for next season.