Newcastle defender Lewis Hall says his past relationship with England boss Thomas Tuchel counts for nothing as he fights to earn his place at the World Cup.
Hall has been called up to the national team for the first time under Tuchel for this month’s friendlies against Uruguay and Japan, having previously won two caps during Lee Carsley’s temporary reign in 2024.
His return to the fold sees a reunion with Tuchel, who handed the left-back his first-team debut at Chelsea in 2022.
But the 21-year-old says he is a different player now.
“When I knew him back in my Chelsea days, I was obviously not quite in the first team, but I was training quite regularly with them at a certain point,” he said.
“He was the one who gave me my debut, so I was obviously incredibly grateful for that, and that’ll be a memory that I’ll always have.
“But I think I’m a completely different person now, completely different player now so I don’t necessarily read too much into the past.
“I know he’s a great guy, so I’m looking forward to working with him again.
“He’s obviously a great coach.
“For me personally, I just want to look to do my best here and learn from these players and from this coach.
“Hopefully that will put me in a good position.”
Hall is battling with the likes of Nico O’Reilly and Tino Livramento for the left-back spot in Tuchel’s team for the summer tournament in North America.
The German has said that this camp, which sees Wembley host friendlies against Uruguay on Friday and Japan next Tuesday, will be the last chance for players to stake their claim for a seat on the plane.
“There’s two ways you can look at it, it can be quite nerve-racking knowing that this is the last opportunity to maybe impress,” he said.
“But at the same time, I think you play so many games in the season, I think they all know the way that you like to play.
“And I think this is just another chance for you to show not only what you can do on the pitch, but what you’re like off the pitch.
“And I think if you can spread positivity across the group, and I think he’s always been keen on making sure that everyone in the group has their part to play off the pitch.
“So I’m just looking to be as happy as possible and enjoy my football here.
“Hopefully it will put me in a good position.”
