Eddie Howe provides Sandro Tonali update Newcastle United fans will love ahead of Nottingham Forest return
Sandro Tonali’s Newcastle United return is now just a week away.
The Italian midfielder’s betting ban officially expires on August 28, allowing him to return to playing in Newcastle’s Carabao Cup second round match at Nottingham Forest the same day (8pm kick-off). Tonali hasn’t featured for Newcastle since coming off the bench in a 1-0 Champions League defeat to Borussia Dortmund at St James’ Park last October.
Tonali will miss Sunday’s Premier League match at AFC Bournemouth but will finally be back in contention for the Carabao Cup clash.
And Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe has praised Tonali and the club’s supporters for how they have responded to a difficult period.
“He's a very cool customer, Sandro,” Howe admitted. “He's not outwardly emotional necessarily so you don't see that big grin on his face but he's very contained emotionally and very strong.
“He's handled himself so well during this period when you consider how difficult it has been for him and I'm sure he's had some really hard days. There's the pressure of the media, dealing with everything that comes with his situation but he's trained really well and has been a great teammate.
“I think the players will only speak highly of how he's conducted himself and they see the true Sandro more than we do. I know how focused he is on his return and I know how excited he is to come back and show to everyone and to thank everyone from Newcastle's perspective and how they've treated him.
“Especially his relationship with the supporters which is incredible to see from my perspective and another huge thing for me to say thank you to the Newcastle supporters for how they've looked after him and how they've dealt with him socially. It's been an incredible response that will only help him when he returns.”
After such a long time without playing, there are question marks over whether Tonali will be ready to start matches for Newcastle straight away or whether he will have to be eased in. But with Tonali continuing to train fully while serving his ban, Howe admitted he would have no issue putting the 24-year-old in from the start. “I think he'll be in a position to start games,” Howe told The Gazette. “Physically, he's very fit, he's in a really good place but he just hasn't had the matches and the game sharpness that you can only really get from games.
“It's very difficult to stimulate him in that way but we have put games on, we've had training games but they're not the same, they're not Premier League games in front of a crowd.
“Everything you get, all the emotions you go through, it's not the same so I think he'll be fit and ready to play but will he be in his absolute best condition? Probably not for another month or so I'd say.”
Tonali is set to make his Premier League return at St James’ Park on September 1 against Tottenham Hotspur following the Forest match.