Numerous elite teams have been keeping an eye on George Hall, but Wayne Rooney’s arrival might bring out the best in him.
The youth development programme of Birmingham City has yielded talented individuals such as Jude Bellingham and George Hall.
Hall has scored goals and been called up to the Wales national team while at Birmingham City, demonstrating his potential.
Despite his injuries, Hall ought to stay at Birmingham City to advance his career and would gain from working under Wayne Rooney’s tutelage.
Jude Bellingham, who began his journey to superstardom at St Andrew’s before becoming an international player for England and currently playing for Real Madrid, was the most recent star to emerge from the Blues’ academy.
Bellingham Jr. has also moved on to new pastures after being enticed to join the Black Cats by former Birmingham academy head Kristjaan Speakman, who is currently Sunderland’s sporting director. His younger brother Jobe was also gradually improving under John Eustace’s coaching and supervision last season.
The two best adolescents still at City are George Hall, who has drawn interest from numerous Premier League clubs, and Jordan James, who is currently a Wales international.
Hall recently inked a new contract with Birmingham that runs until the summer of 2026.
Hall made his senior debut for Birmingham under then-manager Lee Bowyer in a Championship match against Queens Park Rangers in January 2022. Hall had previously been capped by England at the under-18 level.
Despite being an advanced midfielder by nature, he played in attack alongside Troy Deeney on that particular day, and he would only make one more appearance until the 2021–22 season ended.
However, Hall made 30 appearances for the Blues under John Eustace in 2022–2023; during that period, he scored goals against Watford and Sunderland.
Even though Hall started more games from the bench than from the start, by the end of the season he was starting frequently, until a hamstring injury ended his season after he scored against the Black Cats.
Hall has only been spotted twice in 2023–24 because of several injuries.
The 19-year-old experienced numerous setbacks during the preseason. He missed the beginning of the Championship campaign due to foot and muscle problems, and when he finally made a comeback in late August, he sustained a hamstring injury.
But Rooney will be managing him when he does return to action, which might maximise his performance.
Why should Birmingham be George Hall’s home?
Rooney hasn’t exactly shown himself to be a good coach in his two positions at Derby County and D.C. United, but the Rams position in particular was difficult given the budgetary limitations.
However, Rooney demonstrated his skill by providing young athletes with an opportunity to shine, and when that opportunity presented itself, the athletes flourished under his guidance.
Two notable instances of this were Malcolm Ebiowei and Eiran Cashin, who were both given their County debuts in the Championship during the 2021–2022 season.
A few months later, Cashin was getting close to joining Brighton & Hove Albion for the summer of 2023, while Ebiowei had clinched a move to Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
When Hall is healthy and ready to play again, there’s no reason why he can’t be a key component of Rooney’s plans, and there are plenty of reasons to think the teenager may flourish under the former England international.
Because of this, Hall should resist any desire to turn around if Premier League clubs approach him again. After all, Birmingham has a contract with him for almost three more years, so the final say in the matter is in their hands.
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