Lewis Hall's Thiago Silva comment highlights what Chelsea youngsters may be missing | OneFootball

Newcastle United defender Lewis Hall said he is grateful former Chelsea teammate Thiago Silva took the time in training to help him improve as a player.

Hall was always rated very highly during his years at the Chelsea academy, so it was no surprise he entered the first-team frame very early in his career.

He made his professional debut for Chelsea in the FA Cup tie against Chesterfield back in 2022 and became the youngest player for the club to start in the competition.

It was Thomas Tuchel who gave him the opportunity at the time, and the two have now reunited at the England national team.

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The 21-year-old joined Newcastle on loan during the 2023/24 season before signing for them permanently the following season in search of more minutes on the pitch.

It has clearly paid off, with Hall now established as a regular starter for the Magpies.

When speaking to the media on Wednesday, Hall spoke about his time learning the game from a player of Thiago Silva's stature.

"So much," Hall said in the press conference when asked how much he got from playing with Thiago Silva.

"It goes without saying really, the experience that he's had in the game.

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"Although he didn't necessarily speak much English, he was so good with me and he always wanted to help me improve.

"He was obviously playing a lot of games at the time at Chelsea and playing regularly for someone of his age, and he was taking time on the training pitch to try to help me out.

"I think whenever you get to play and train with older players, you can always sort of learn from them.

"Yeah, I'm really grateful for everything that they've taught me."

Hall's comment highlights what young Chelsea defenders, such as Josh Acheampong and Jorrel Hato, might have missed in the team's current set-up.

While Chelsea still have older defenders, including Tosin Adarabioyo and Marc Cucurella, having players like Thiago Silva, who has won elite competitions at the highest level, would help the club's young talents grow even more, especially mentally.