£28m man deservedly named Newcastle United's Player of the Month for May

The Premier League is now over but there was still the task of naming Newcastle United's Player of the Month to take care of.

May was a tricky month for Newcastle United as they struggled to get the job done and qualify for Europe. Chelsea pipped the Magpies to the last guaranteed European spot and now Newcastle must wait and hope that Manchester City beat Manchester United in the FA Cup final on Saturday to secure their Europa Conference League place.

Newcastle managed two wins, a draw and one defeat in May with one player picked to stand out above the rest and after the season he's had, he'll be absolutely buzzing with the recognition.

Lewis Hall has been selected as the Sela Player of the Month for May after a string of quality performances topped off with a wonder-strike against Manchester United. His second goal of the season, both of which came against the Red Devils.

Things got off to a rocky start at Newcastle for Lewis Hall

Hall joined the Magpies in the summer on an initial loan from Chelsea which contained an obligation to buy for £28million rising to £35million based on bonuses.

However, it was a long time before the Toon Army got to get a real look at Hall with fans speculating as to why. Some wondered if he was a Dan Ashworth signing that Eddie Howe didn't want, or if Howe had just decided he wasn't good enough. There was also the feeling that the obligation to buy was appearance-based and the club were delaying so they didn't have to pay up.

It turns out that all of those theories were wrong, it was just a case of Howe feeling that Hall wasn't quite at the level he expects from his players, but as the squad was hit with another injury crisis at the end of the season, Hall was given his chance to shine, and shine he did.

It has been a tough season for Hall but he ended it brilliantly

While he's not yet at the level we need as a defender, his ability going forward is outstanding. He doesn't lack the confidence to go beyond players or to strike the ball and it's that confidence that pushed him on to achieve this accolade.

On picking up the award, Hall told the club's official site that he's finally starting to feel like his old self after a challenging season.

“A sense of pride comes with receiving any award, but when it’s decided by the fans who pay to come and watch you it feels like an even greater honour.

“Personally, this is a nice way to round off the season. It has been a challenging year so it’s good to finish on a high. The past couple of months I’ve felt a lot more like myself and I’m really happy with how I’ve been able to influence the team and make a positive impact.”