Howe Stresses Patience for Developing Young Footballers

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has underscored the importance of patience in the progression of young players, following left-back Lewis Hall’s initial call-up to the senior England squad on Thursday. Hall, who joined the Magpies from Chelsea as an 18-year-old last summer, is now 20 and has firmly established himself as a regular first-team player this season for the club. He has started seven of their ten Premier League matches and appeared as a substitute in the other three. “Patience is something you need and I know that as a father, when you’re with your kids and whatever you’re trying to help them with, whether it’s maths or whatever subject or part of their life, you can get frustrated and impatient with their development,” said Howe. “You need to sometimes just be calm and let them develop in their own way.” “We always try to push the players and try to help them, and Lewis is a really good case in point for us now to point to in the future.” “It was the same with Anthony [Gordon]. You go through a period with every player and you can never look at one case and go ‘that’s how long it will take you’. It’s all unique to the individual.” “But Lewis really committed to the work and now he’s reaping the rewards.”