EDDIE Howe has called for patience with Lewis Hall, insisting the teenager has a "big part" to play for Newcastle United in the coming weeks.
And although Howe admits the terms of Hall's loan transfer from Chelsea - which includes an obligation to make the deal permanent in the summer - are "complicated", he says the full-back "absolutely" has a long term future at St James' Park.
Hall's lack of football so far this season has raised eyebrows on Tyneside, with the 19-year-old limited to just 76 minutes of Premier League football despite the fact Newcastle's squad has been ravaged by injury.
Hall was a substitute at Stamford Bridge in the Carabao Cup quarter final tie against his parent club in midweek and didn't get off the bench, even though Emil Krafth was forced off with injury.
But Howe insists he has full confidence in Hall, who he believes - with time - will establish himself as a key figure for the Magpies.
"He's settled in fine. He's working well. I just think we need to develop certain areas of his game," said Howe.
"We have no doubts about his qualities and what he can bring to the team. He's doing a lot of work behind the scenes. We're working with him daily.
"He was brought in with a view for the here and now but also for the future. My part would be a bit of patience with Lewis, he has a big part to play in the coming weeks."
Asked whether Hall has a long-term future at Newcastle, Howe said: "Absolutely. His transfer is slightly complicated in terms of structure so hasn't quite hit the requirements but he's definitely part of plans."
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Howe will closely assess his options today ahead of Saturday's game at Luton, with late calls to be made on a number of players.
Anthony Gordon, like Krafth, is nursing an injury suffered at Chelsea after being on the receiving end of a nasty Moises Caicedo challenge.
Howe said: "We're going to see how they are this morning. Anthony was sore.
"It was a horrible challenge on him reviewing it and watching it properly. I was really disappointed with the tackle. He's sore but we'll see how he is today, hopefully he'll improve quickly.
"Emil had a really nasty cut on his shin which went quite deep, so he required stitches and is quite sore as well."
Howe must also decide whether to include Joelinton and Fabian Schar at Luton after the pair had scans on injuries this week.
"The scans painted a similar picture, nothing too serious with either," said Newcastle's head coach.
"Maybe Joe is slightly more. We'll make a decision on both players in the lead up to this game."
Howe says it's "50/50" whether Alexander Isak will be fit to feature at Kenilworth Road, but Sven Botman has suffered no complications after his return to action and is expected to play.
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