‘I was gutted’ - Fresh Lewis Hall quotes drop after signing Newcastle United contract
Newcastle United cruelly missed out on a place in the England squad for the World Cup over the summer.
Lewis Hall has opened up about his disappointment at missing out on the World Cup earlier this year.
Eyebrows were raised when Thomas Tuchel left the 22-year-old out of his England squad for the finals across the pond. Hall was arguably Newcastle United’s standout performer in the 2025-26 campaign.
Instead, the Three Lions called up Nico O’Reilly, Djed Spence and Toon teammate Tino Livramento. He has put the setback behind him to enjoy a solid start to the new campaign under Matthias Jaissle.
Newcastle fans were also ecstatic on Friday when Hall put pen to paper on a new five-year contract. This ended the speculation that persisted over the summer linking the defender to Manchester United.
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Lewis Hall opens up
Speaking to the club’s media channel, Hall discussed dealing with his England rejection. He said: “Do you know what? It was actually really good in the end. Obviously, it wasn't what I wanted to be.
“I went through a couple of weeks after finding out that I wasn't going to be at the World Cup… just processing it. I was obviously gutted and I found out that I wasn't going to be going.
“These things happen and I'm trying to use it now as extra motivation to get myself back in the squad for the next international break. I've just got to look forward to the Euros now in two years and do everything I can to be selected for that.”
‘Massive’ - Lewis Hall
Hall also opened up about the emotion of making his England debut against Greece in October 2024. He added: “That was a massive thing for me. When you're a kid, you always watch the Premier League and everything. Especially when there's a European competition or the Euros and the World Cup, you always think about how amazing it would be to play for England.
“It would be even better to do it in a competition like that. There was always a different buzz for me as a kid when I was watching England. It was always such a proud moment, being able to represent them.
“That first cap I got was... Honestly, that was the first time I think I've ever in football got back to the hotel and was a bit emotional. I think that was one of the first things that hit me straight away after I played.”
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