Sandro Tonali felt ‘lost’ at Newcastle United after £52m AC Milan summer transfer

Tonali helped AC Milan get to the Champions League semi-final last season before joining Newcastle for an Italian record fee over the summer.

The 23-year-old made an instant impression with The Magpies after scoring and being named man of the match in his competitive debut against Aston Villa last month.

Newcastle and Tonali will be in action at the San Siro for their Champions League group stage opener against AC Milan on Tuesday night (5:45pm kick-off BST).

And upon his return to his former club’s home stadium, Tonali spoke openly about his initial struggles adapting to life on Tyneside.

“This summer has been hard and I’ve had a difficult start,” Tonali said. “At the beginning, it was not easy to find my place in Newcastle but people have supported me and still helping me now.

“Since the first match, I felt at ease. I was happier thanks to the help of Mr Howe and the whole staff.

“They really helped me out in my personal and professional life. My teammates have been amazing, especially with the language! That was very difficult for me.”

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The midfielder even admitted to feeling ‘lost’ in his new surroundings but is quickly adapting thanks to support of those around him.

On the pitch, everything changes when you switch from the Italian championship to the Premier League,” he said. “At the beginning I was kind of lost and I received so much help by everybody under every aspect, language, sport and tactics.”