I was shocked by Newcastle United supporters' reaction after I was told I couldn't play for the club
Sandro Tonali will join up with the Italy squad after a positive couple of weeks at Newcastle United.
Tonali has grabbed two assists in three games for Newcastle as he set up Alexander Isak in the 2-0 win over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup and Harvey Barnes in the 3-1 win at Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday. The Italian also played a part in Joelinton’s goal at the City Ground just three minutes after coming off the bench.
While Tonali has not started Newcastle’s last two Premier League matches, he has continued to make a positive impact - even when coming off the bench. The 24-year-old has been a regular in the Italy squad since returning from his 10-month betting ban in September.
He has since been involved in every match for club and country since then, though will have to fight for his place back in Newcastle’s starting line-up following the international break. Italy face Belgium and France in the Nations League this month.
Ahead of the international break, Tonali spoke to Sky Italia about his return to playing after a lengthy spell without playing.
“Many aspects of my life have changed, but I’m fine on and off the pitch,” he said. “My relationship with people has also changed, this goes beyond football and has made the difference.”
“The goal before returning was to play as much as possible, I knew it wouldn’t be easy. For now I’ve done it in the best way, even with the national team which was another big goal of mine.
“For me, however, it remains the same: to play and do the best possible to try to win [at Newcastle]. We are in the quarter-finals of the [Carabao] Cup, that is our goal [to win it]. Last year things didn’t go well for us, but that remains our big goal.”
Despite Tonali’s off-field struggles and limited appearances for Newcastle since his £52million transfer from AC Milan in 2023, he is a favourite among the club’s supporters - who chanted his name from the stands even while he served his ban.
“The Newcastle fans behaved in an unexpected way during the disqualification and I thank them, they don’t make any judgements,” Tonali added.
“Even when I watched the matches at the stadium I didn’t hear any judgements, in fact they shook my hand and this struck me because I wasn’t expecting it.”