London, Sep 8 — Lewis Hall has expressed gratitude to Thomas Tuchel, who gave him his debut cap during his stint with Chelsea ahead of the England reunion. However, the 21-year-old believes his previous experience of working with the current England coach will count for little as he looks to establish himself under the German with the national side.
Hall first crossed paths with Tuchel when the defender was breaking into Chelsea’s senior set-up. The then-17-year-old was brought into first-team training before Tuchel handed him his debut in an FA Cup clash against Chesterfield in January 2022.
With Tuchel now in charge of England, Hall has the chance to work with his former manager again, but the Newcastle United defender does not expect their previous association to affect his prospects for the national team.
“I was 17 at Chelsea when I first trained with the first team, and I just remember him and his staff being really welcoming to me,” Hall said in an interview with England Football.
“I think they realised what a big thing it was for a young player, because there were a couple of us who came up at the time. I remember his sessions were really good; a lot was possession-based, which I really enjoyed. He was a good person to me and gave me my debut,” he added.
Hall believes that first-team opportunity played an important role in his development and helped him gain the belief required to progress into senior football.
“Without that, it probably wouldn’t have given me the confidence to kick on from there, so I’m grateful for that,” he said.
However, the defender is now focused on proving his worth on his own terms rather than relying on his previous relationship with Tuchel.
“But right now I want to focus on here,” Hall said. “I’m a completely different player now, so I’m not sure if that means anything now.”
Hall’s development has accelerated since his move from Chelsea to Newcastle in 2023. He has gradually established himself as a left-back under Eddie Howe and has continued to progress with England’s age-group sides.
His performances for Newcastle and the England Under-21s eventually earned him his first senior call-up in November 2024. Hall made his international debut as a substitute in the Nations League victory over Greece in Athens, before starting against Ireland at Wembley.
Although he has played in midfield and defence during his development, Hall feels his future is increasingly suited to the left-back role.
“A lot of my game has been developed at left-back, but I think I could play in midfield if I needed to, but as a career, I feel I have more ability at left-back just with the way we play at Newcastle, as it really suits my game with full-backs being involved," he said.
“I feel I get loads of the ball in good areas, and last season I worked on the defensive side of my game, which is really important to me now.”
Hall also revealed that he enjoys the attacking responsibilities associated with playing at full-back.
“I like to get forward as well, so when I’m getting the ball regularly, building from the back and getting the ball into the final third, I like to do that as well and create chances,” he said.
Hall is also keen to learn from England’s established players as he aims to become a regular member of the senior squad.
“I’m still really young, and every single time I play for England, no matter what age group it is, I’m really grateful,” he said.
“I like to learn from other people who have been in the squad for a while, and someone like Luke Shaw, who I’ve watched play for England a lot, I like a lot of the things he does in his game. Hopefully I can take parts of his game into mine and one day play regularly for England,” he added.
Meanwhile, after finishing in a historic third at the FIFA World Cup 2026, England will next face Spain, Czechia and Croatia in the Nations League 2026, in which Lewis Hall is expected to start.