Newcastle United defender Lewis Hall is stepping up his recovery from foot fracture surgery in a bid to return to action before the opener of the 2025-26 season.

The 20-year-old defender performed well in the 2024-25 season, but underwent surgery due to an injury in March and missed the team's victory over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final and the last 11 Premier League games.

Recently, Hall told the club's official website: "It feels really good to be able to run again. I have been through a 12-week recovery period without weight bearing and now I just want to slowly get back to my form step by step."

After the operation, Hall has been working closely with the Newcastle United medical team. He has been doing arm training in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to improve his cardiopulmonary function and gradually restarting leg training. He has now started running outdoors and will resume ball training in the next few days.

Although he missed the celebration of his first trophy in his career, for Hall, the psychological challenge brought by the long-term absence is even greater than the physical pain. Hall said: "I watched the team win the championship live at home. It was too painful to not be able to participate. But now I can see that the finish line is near."

"For my career and future goals, if I had played in that final, it would have affected my entire season. I did underestimate how frustrated I was, but this is for the long term."

Hall's goal now is to return to full training at the end of the preseason and strive to play in the Premier League opener against Aston Villa on August 16. Hall hopes to regain his rhythm through a few warm-up matches, prove himself to everyone again, and become stronger.