Lewis Hall has got nowt to prove, not to us anyway. Anyone who watches Newcastle United knows he’s one of the best in the business.
But tell that to Thomas Tuchel. Hall was shockingly omitted from the World Cup squad in the summer, with right-footed left-backs favoured. All that came after a season in which he excelled, even when Newcastle struggled. At times he was the beacon of light - who could forget that Lamine Yamal performance. It was one for ages.
However, Tino Livramento was preferred, after a patchy campaign and relegation-contender Djed Spence got in. None of it made any sense, even if Spence was one of the better performers on the way to a crushing semi-final loss.
Watching the Argentina embarrassment, it was not hard to see that Hall would have been invaluable, helping to close that cavernous gap on the left that allowed Lionel Messi to dictate and deflate.
“I was gutted, to be honest,” Hall said on missing out on a spot.
“In football, you never take anything for granted. But yes, I wasn’t necessarily expecting it, if I’m being completely honest. Obviously, everyone has their own opinions, like I mentioned before.
‘You’ve got to respect that’
“You’ve got to respect that. But at the same time, as soon as the first couple of weeks were done, when I realised I wasn’t really there, I just had to think to myself, ‘If I wasn’t a footballer, what would I be doing?’
“And that’s supporting England. I was just with my mates, watching the game together and being a fan. Honestly, we had so many players at the World Cup, so I was obviously all supporting them.
“With Anthony (Gordon) being there, Elliot (Anderson), Dan Burn, when they came on, I was obviously buzzing for them all. I just wanted them all to do so well. When I was watching them and they were all playing really well, it obviously made me proud as well. I was looking at it that way.”
Hall has point to prove
Hall is back now, though. Back in favour, back as an option. Four games, four opportunities for cap no.5. The first tonight v Spain.
Does he feel like he’s got a point to prove?
“A little bit,” he said. “I think you play enough games in a season anyway, where they can see how you play, what you’re good at, what you can improve on, and see how you fit into the squad.
“It’s always nice to go there and create a good impression. So, yes, I’ll be looking to do that.”