How Newcastle United 'sponge' went from forgotten man to first name on the team sheet in just one year

One thing Eddie Howe is going to be remembered for (other than the inevitable trophy ... HOWAY THE LADS) will be his ability to absolutely transform players in a short period of time.

Since Eddie Howe came to Newcastle United we've seen him improve so many players like Jacob Murphy, Sean Longstaff and of course, the biggest rags-to-riches story in the modern game, Joelinton.

Another player who has to make that list is Lewis Hall. In his first season at Newcastle fans were wondering if Howe was just dumped with Hall and he didn't want him.

The Chelsea man arrived on loan with a £28 million obligation to buy, but after hardly appearing for Newcastle all season we were starting to wonder if Howe was trying to keep his game time down so he could send him back to Chelsea without triggering the clause.

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Lewis Hall is 'like a sponge' when it comes to taking in information

However, as it turned out, the clause was set to trigger based on Newcastle's league position and had nothing to do with Hall's appearances. Eddie Howe simply didn't feel that Hall was up to his lofty standards.

Now, Luke Edwards has written a lengthy piece on Hall in The Telegraph and we've been given more insight into how Hall has gone from not good enough, to England's best left-back in the space of a year.

Club insiders have said that Hall is 'like a sponge' when it comes to soaking up feedback from the coaches and has taken on board every piece of advice he's been given.

The sky is the limit for Lewis Hall

Hall's improvement was clear to see by the end of last season as he was handed a run of games and now he's likely one of the first names on the teamsheet.

It's not just Hall's uncanny ability to take in information that has got him here, though, nobody has worked harder or longer in training than Hall with the youngster staying back for hours after training almost every day to become the force that he is now.

And as good as he is, you can almost see improvements in his game every time he steps out on the pitch. Lewis Hall is going to be a superstar if he continues on this trajectory.