Lewis Hall has opened up on why he decided to snub Manchester United’s advances in the summer, branding the decision to stay at Newcastle a “no-brainer”.
The left-back, who has just been recalled to the England squad by Thomas Tuchel, was the subject of strong interest from the Red Devils but a move failed to materialise.
Hall, 22, said he was convinced to stay after learning to vision of new manager Matthias Jaissle and has since committed his future to Newcastle by penning a long-term contract.
Asked if he was affected by the speculation, Hall told Chronicle Live: “No, honestly, it didn’t. I guess whenever you're linked to another team, you know that you're doing something right. I guess it's just a credit to your own performances and how you are as a player, how you are as a person.
“I took that as a positive, but at the same time, I knew how much I love playing here and I knew that since the manager came in, I knew the ambitions and what we wanted to achieve.
“After not many conversations, not many training sessions, I knew that the manager was going to be really good for this club and I knew that as a team, bringing in new players and improving the squad was really important and as soon as we did that, it was a no-brainer really to sign.”
Hall, a product of Chelsea’s academy, has made 109 appearances for Newcastle over the past three years, becoming a mainstay in the Magpies team.
He has been an early standout under Jaissle and scored in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Hull City, with his form being rewarded with a return to the England fold after being omitted from Tuchel’s World Cup plans.
Lewis Hall celebrates Newcastle’s second goal against Hull (PA) (PA Wire)Hall is braced for more transfer swirl surrounding his name in the future but asserts he will be at Newcastle for “a long time”.
"I think when you're at a team you don't think too far into the future,” he added. “Obviously, I'm really grateful for the contract that I've received and the trust that I've been given from the board and from the manager and everything like that.
"But I'm just taking it game by game, just trying to do the best I can for this club. We've got ambitions and as long as we achieve these ambitions and achieve what we want to achieve, I'm sure I'll be here for a long time."