Newcastle United hit by midfield injury concern as Eddie Howe urged to make Sandro Tonali decision

Tonali has been left out of Newcastle’s starting line-up for the last three matches with a midfield trio of Bruno Guimaraes, Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff preferred in the matches against Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and West Ham United. But after defeat to The Hammers on Monday and injury concerns around Bruno Guimaraes and Joe Willock, some supporters have been vocal on social media wanting the Italian to return to the starting line-up.

Tonali grabbed an assist in his last start for Newcastle in the Carabao Cup win against Chelsea last month and also came off the bench to set-up Harvey Barnes at Nottingham Forest. But since returning from his 10-month betting ban, he has played more minutes for Italy in the Nations League than he has for Newcastle in the Premier League.

Barring any late setbacks, Guimaraes and Willock are expected to travel to Selhurst Park on Saturday (3pm kick-off), meaning there is no guarantee of a start for Tonali as things stand.

“He’s been good and has trained really well, especially this week,” Howe said on Tonali. “I’ve been really pleased with his contribution. He did really well when came on at Nottingham Forest, in a moment when that game was in the balance at 1-1.

“He played a big part in moving that game towards us. So he’s fighting for a place and is doing himself no harm with how he’s performing in training.”

Newcastle have only won two competitive matches with Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali in the same starting line-up. The pair have started 11 matches together with Tonali’s 5-1 debut win against Aston Villa and the famous 4-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League being the only times Newcastle have emerged victorious.

Despite that record, Howe insists both players can start and flourish together.

“Anything is possible,” the Newcastle boss added. “Of course they can [play together]. They are two outstanding players.

“It’s up to me to try and find a solution that works for both players and sees their qualities within the team. You can put any player into the team and any combination of players into the team, but it’s got to be to the team’s benefit.

“It has to be right for both players to showcase their attributes. So, hopefully we can do that.”