Lewis Hall says it was a 'no-brainer' to snub Man Utd despite transfer interest

· Mirror

Lewis Hall has chosen to extend his contract with Newcastle despite being heavily linked with Manchester United in the summer, explaining the reasons for his decision

Lewis Hall admits it was a "no-brainer" to sign an extension with Newcastle despite Manchester United's interest as he talked up the impact of Matthias Jaissle.

The new boss, who replaced Eddie Howe in the summer, has made an immediate impression and impressed with a Magpies side that endured a poor campaign last time out and looked to have lost a bit of direction under the previous regime.

Hall had to watch leading lights like Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon leave St James' Park in the summer, which led to speculation he would follow. United were particularly keen and need a left-back at Old Trafford, but Newcastle dug their heels in and maintained he wouldn't be sold.

Hall has got his head down under Jaissle, still only 38, and quickly decided that the former Red Bull Salzburg manager can lead Newcastle to great heights, committing to the club for the next five years.

> Quizzed on whether the transfer talk impacted on him he said: “No, honestly, it didn’t [affect me]. I guess whenever you’re linked to another team, you know that you’re doing something right. I guess it’s just a credit to your own performances and how you are as a player, how you are as a person.

> “I took that as a positive, but at the same time, I knew how much I love playing here and I knew that since the manager came in, I knew the ambitions and what we wanted to achieve.

> “After not many conversations, not many training sessions, I knew that the manager was going to be really good for this club and I knew that as a team, bringing in new players and improving the squad was really important and as soon as we did that, it was a no-brainer really to sign.”

Newcastle have won two of their five games, losing just the once, with Jaissle impressing as he transitions in a host of new summer signings, many of whom were largely unknown quantities.

Hall, whilst enduring difficult moments, which included giving away a stoppage time penalty against Liverpool, has been a strong performer and that has seen him recalled to the England squad.

He missed out on the World Cup in the summer, which owed to his performance levels dipping in the final weeks of the season. Hall was left frustrated that Howe played him on the right, not his natural position, which he reportedly attributed to his form dropping off.

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