Eddie Howe admits Sandro Tonali can give Newcastle United ‘bits of information’ about their next Champions League opponents, Milan, and insists the Magpies have not reached an agreement to sign Juventus target Kalvin Phillips.
Milan visit Newcastle at St. James’ Park on Wednesday and it’s a must-win for Stefano Pioli’s men who must also hope Borussia Dortmund beat PSG to qualify for the Champions League Round of 16.
Tonali should have been one of the big players in the Newcastle-Milan meeting, but the Italy international has been suspended following his involvement in a betting scandal and will only return to action in August 2024.
However, Howe admitted the former Rossoneri star could still be useful to his new teammates.
“We’ll have conversations but I trust my own eyes and what I see, as I would for every game. But of course, he can give us little bits of information,” the Newcastle coach said at a pre-match press conference, as quoted by chroniclelive.
Both Milan and Newcastle have been dealing with several injuries lately. The Rossoneri have recovered Rafael Leao and Noah Okafor but Fikayo Tomori remains their only centre-back available for Wednesday’s Champions League fixture.
“It’s been well documented. We’ve tried to stay away from that and just focus on playing. We’ve tried to keep our minds free. Our last two performances haven’t been us at our best,” said Howe.
“You can read into it whatever you want… [Gordon, Dubravka & Longstaff missing from training]. We’re two days after a game so we’re trying to manage players. We’ll see who’s fit for tomorrow.
“It’s got the hallmarks of being a special night. All we can do is try to win the game. We’ll give everything to try that,” he continued.
“Make it a magical European night. They can only do so much but we have to do our bit for them.”
Howe also replied to a question about the future of Manchester City midfielder Phillips who has been linked with a move to Juventus. Reports in England claim Newcastle are close to securing his signature for the January transfer window, but Howe hit back by saying: “It’s not correct.”