If Manchester United had their way, they would have signed Lewis Hall already.
Come summer 2026, a midfield rebuild was firmly at the top of the agenda at Old Trafford. Beyond that, whispers also circulated about adding a left-back if the funds stretched far enough.
Luke Shaw proved thoroughly reliable last season, starting every league game. Yet INEOS surely recognised he could not repeat the same feat this campaign. Expecting him to do so, particularly with Champions League football returning and a heavier fixture list, risked running him into the ground and leaving United in a difficult spot.
Once the midfield “rebuild” was complete, attention was to turn to bolstering the left-back position. So INEOS identified targets, and Lewis Hall sat firmly at the top of the list.
Lewis Hall: the dream signing
Hall is a technically gifted left-back, a rare full-back who controls and manipulates the ball with either foot.
That two-footed ability lets him wriggle out of tight spaces or transition seamlessly from deep positions. He looks comfortable receiving the ball anywhere, staying wide, pushing high as a wing-back, or inverting into midfield.
Having a player like him in the side is a genuine asset, which is exactly why Michael Carrick was keen to bring him in.
However, after United completed their midfield rebuild by signing Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba, a deal for Hall proved tricky to pull off.
By the time the Red Devils began making serious enquiries, Newcastle had already completed several major sales and showed little willingness to lose another key player.
Only a crazy bid, it was suggested, would have convinced the Magpies to let him go.
United fall short of a blockbuster Hall swoop
Having already splashed the cash on the midfield, INEOS were not in a position to break the bank for Hall. They chose not to force through the blockbuster transfer and instead postponed the move. Talks over a temporary left-back signing were considered, yet no deal materialised.
As a result, the 20-time English champions ended the window without a new left-back and set themselves the task of revisiting the position next year. Now, though, they have fresh motivation to return for Hall.
Newcastle ready to cash in on key stars
That motivation comes directly from Newcastle’s sporting director Ross Wilson, who told The Telegraph:
“These are the conversations that every club’s got to have (selling top talent to balance the books).
“We’re working on a regulatory framework that isn’t for Newcastle United. It’s for everyone. So this isn’t a choice. This is what we’ve got to do. And if you don’t do it, then just keep the squad you’ve got forevermore. They’ll grow old and achieve less and leave for nothing.
“Particularly where the revenues of this club are in a phase where [chief executive] David [Hopkinson] and his team are making those revenues really, really grow. But without that, if you don’t trade players, you are going to get stuck.”
Newcastle’s openness to selling top talent is excellent news for United’s hopes of landing Hall. It strongly suggests that if the Red Devils press hard enough, they could yet get their man and sort a position that has suddenly become a genuine concern.
Feature image Stu Forster via Getty Images
