Man Utd Plot Succession Plan for Longest Serving Player—Report

One summer exit is already thought to be on the cards, weakening this position even further.

Luke Shaw will be out of contract at Man Utd in 2027. | Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Manchester United are reportedly considering a move for Newcastle United left back Lewis Hall, who would serve as the long-term successor to Old Trafford stalwart Luke Shaw.

The 21-year-old has enjoyed a standout campaign for the club he grew up supporting as a boy, earning a call-up to Thomas Tuchel’s final England roster ahead of the World Cup. Shaw was overlooked for that 35-player squad and may soon face competition from Hall at club level as well as internationally.

Hall is one name on United’s radar ahead of a summer window which promises to oversee plenty of upheaval, according to Sky Sports News. While central midfield and left wing are clear areas of concern, left back is another zone of the pitch which desperately needs reinforcements.

Lewis Hall has overcome serious injury. | Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The historically injury-prone Shaw has been relied upon for every Premier League match this season, an appearance record entirely out-of-keeping with his medical history and one which has surely been aided by United’s lightest match calendar in 111 years. The fixture list should swell with some form of European qualification next term, providing the Red Devils with the funds to combat this increased workload for Shaw.

Hall represents an intriguing target but the process behind actually signing him may be testing.

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Why Man Utd Want to Sign Lewis Hall

Lewis Hall was called up for England in March. | Paul ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images

Hall was signed by Newcastle from Chelsea in 2024 as a teenager for a princely sum which could rise to as high as $46.8 million (£35 million). By that point, the Blues academy graduate had amassed less than 1,000 minutes for the senior side. Yet, almost two years later, Magpies boss Eddie Howe was entirely justified in describing the deal as “a smart piece of business.”

“He had a tough first year, he had to really show mental strength and patience, and he has reaped the benefits from grabbing his chance in the team,” Howe gushed earlier this month. “He is currently playing his best football. He has a lot of strengths that a lot of players in his position won’t have and that is why he stands out.”

Those strengths appear on both sides of the ball. The buccaneering fullback has been let down by his teammates when it comes to his assist tally, which stands at just two across all competitions despite creating 40 chances for his colleagues.

In a Newcastle side with an inverted left winger—very much the system which Michael Carrick has introduced at Manchester United—Hall thrives under the responsibility of solely providing the width down that flank, using his low center of gravity to weave between a forest of challenges and swing the ball into the box.

It isn’t just attacking duties which Hall undertakes. Blessed with a blend of industry and dexterity, few fullbacks in the division win possession back as frequently as the blur of strawberry blonde hair down Newcastle’s left. This much-improved side of his game was honed with hours of individual work on the training ground with Magpies assistant Jason Tindall. The tongue-in-cheek nickname of “The Slough Maldini” hasn’t quite stuck.

Shaw once boasted a very similar profile to Hall when he joined United in 2014 before injuries ravaged his natural physical gifts. The steely operator has reconfigured his game to establish himself as a reliable figure in United’s backline but there is a lot less swash and buckle to his makeup these days. Since being restored to left back in a four-man rearguard by Carrick, Shaw has created a total of two chances in 10 appearances.

Putting Shaw’s limitations to one side, United are expected to part ways with Tyrell Malacia once his contract expires in the summer, freeing up another spot in the squad which Hall could fill perfectly.

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Why Man Utd May Struggle to Sign Hall

Eddie Howe has been under pressure this summer. | Stu Forster/Getty Images

Newcastle are reluctant sellers at the best of times—as Liverpool discovered to their cost during last summer’s Alexander Isak saga. Considering United are already linked with two other Magpies players, the midfield duo of Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarães, reports of this Hall interest will not go down well.

Howe did little to hide his fury when presented with the reports surrounding Guimarães earlier this month. After threatening to refuse to even answer the question, the English coach brandished it as “nonsense” and “disrespectful.”

Much like his teammates, Hall did not arrive at Newcastle on the cheap. Only two English left backs in the history of the sport have ever cost more than the former Chelsea man; Ben Chilwell and, incidentally, Shaw himself. Were United to try and prise him away from St. James’ Park they may very well have to set a new high watermark.

Whether Hall would be open to the move is another question entirely.

Despite growing up in Slough, Hall was raised as a Newcastle fan thanks to his father and uncle hailing from the North East. “I’m very proud,” he beamed after signing for the club initially on loan in 2023. “Me and my family are Newcastle fans, and for me and my brother growing up, it was drilled into us that we were Newcastle.”

United will naturally have several alternatives to Hall lined up. Eintracht Frankfurt’s flying fullback Nathaniel Brown is one name floated, although the competition will be fierce. But Hall is billed as a leading target—and for plenty of reason.

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