Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is pleased that Sandro Tonali will soon return to action and says that Magpies fans ‘looked after’ the Italy midfielder while he was on the sidelines.
Tonali is set to return to action on August 28, 2024, after serving a 10-month ban for illegal betting.
The former Milan midfielder also made a series of public appearances to warn against the danger of gambling addiction.
Newcastle announced his imminent return with an official statement, and their coach, Howe, opened up about the Italian’s behaviour and attitude while he was on the sidelines.
“He has handled himself really well in this period, I am sure he has had some hard days,” Howe said at a press conference on Friday.
Howe: ‘Newcastle fans looked after’ Italy star Tonali
“He has trained really well and has been a great teammate. I know how focused and excited he is for his return. Again, another huge thing for me to say is thank you to the Newcastle United fans. The way they’ve looked after him and for how they’ve dealt with him socially. I think it’s been an incredible response and that will only help him when he returns.”
Tonali scored on his Premier League debut with Newcastle last season, weeks after completing an €80m transfer from Milan. That was his only goal in 12 appearances with the Premier League club.
His ban became effective on October 27, 2024, and forced him to miss Euro 2024 with Italy’s national team.
The 24-year-old has collected 15 appearances with the Azzurri. Tonali is under contract with Newcastle until June 2028.