Lewis Hall could already be Newcastle United's next captain, but only if the club can match his long-term expectations, according to former England winger Chris Waddle.
The England left-back signed a new long-term contract with the Magpies in September after a summer of transfer speculation, with Manchester United keen to bring him to Old Trafford. Hall, a boyhood Newcastle fan, was delighted to commit his future to the club, but Waddle has warned they must push for silverware and European honours to keep him on Tyneside.
Waddle's warning on Hall's ambitions
United have seen Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes leave to pursue trophies elsewhere, while Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali were sold to help boost the club's revenue streams. Hall has started the season strongly, and while that is good news for head coach Matthias Jaissle, it means there will be inevitable transfer links next summer.
However, Waddle, who also starred for Spurs, Marseille and Sheffield Wednesday, feels Hall can be the future captain at Newcastle, as long as the club are fulfilling his big ambitions.
"Lewis Hall has signed a new contract, but if Newcastle finish 16th or somewhere like that, he might get a little bit disillusioned, thinking, 'I want to be playing in the Champions League, I'm playing for England, I need to be playing higher'," he said.
"That's when offers start coming in and there could be movement. But for me, it's lovely to see him sign a new deal and get on with it. He seems settled there. Probably a future captain."
Jaissle's start at Newcastle
Whether Newcastle can continue to be a threat at the top end of the Premier League largely depends on how well head coach Jaissle can inspire the young squad to glory. The German took over from Eddie Howe just three weeks before the start of the season, and while they have started well, Waddle feels now is not the time to make any judgements.
"Matthias Jaissle has done all right. Listen, they've come out and played a positive style of football, which the fans up there love," he told talkSPORT Bet. "They like to see the players on the front foot, and he's doing that.
"You've got to realise he lost three big players who were massive for Eddie Howe's team, and he's replaced them with young players, really. That's the direction Newcastle have gone in the market with the Saudi group.
"So far, you can say he's made a decent start. It's a long season, we know that. We'll see where they are by Christmas, whether they need to strengthen or if they're happy thinking, 'We're doing nicely here.'
"I'm sure the goal is Europa League at minimum. But at the start of the season, when you're losing your top three players, it's very hard to picture what's going to happen, and you've got to say the guy has done very well so far."
