Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth has told the press that Italy international Sandro Tonali feels he has ‘let himself down’ with his involvement in the recent betting scandal, but has insisted that the club are ready to back him until the very end.
Ashworth, in a recent interview with The Mirror, was asked whether he and the club had any regrets about bringing Tonali in from Milan for such a large fee given the decision of his 10-month suspension just 12 games into his Newcastle career. The response was a categorical no.
The Magpies director did suggest that Newcastle may have attempted to structure the deal differently had they known a 10-month ban was a realistic possibility, but he indicated that nobody was to know.
Instead, the feeling around St James’ Park is one of disappointment for losing a player of Tonali’s importance.
“It was a massive shock, a massive surprise. Dealing with it was new to all of us. It came from nowhere,” Ashworth told the Mirror on Friday.
“Sandro has been outstanding since this has happened and has been fully collaborative. He’s been an outstanding professional in that context. He feels that he’s let himself down and any player who is missing for a prolonged period of time feels bad about it.
“I think if you know a player’s going to be out for 10 months whether that’s through a medical injury or through something like this, you’d either have to look at the deal again or structure the deal in a different manner.”
He continued: “But as a player, from the performances of the player and the character and personality, no reservations. We’re all disappointed that we’re losing a player of Sandro’s calibre for 10 months.
“In my experience, the board and the owners are incredibly supportive people who will want to support the player and his family. I know that Sandro has had support from board members.”
Asked specifically if there have been any accusations targeted towards Milan from the Newcastle camp, Ashworth replied: “We’ve had no conversations since the game in Milan, but obviously we’ll welcome them to St James’ Park, as we have with Dortmund and PSG.
Ashworth was also asked specifically whether the club are set to suspend Tonali’s pay during his suspension, but he replied by saying: “Any player’s contract situation is private and confidential.”