New Newcastle United signing spotted on Tyneside ahead of Eddie Howe meeting

The 23-year-old Italian completed a £52million from AC Milan which was confirmed last week. He then had a brief visit to Newcastle to visit St James’ Park, the training ground, look at properties and complete club media duties before heading off on holiday.

But now Tonali is back in Newcastle ahead of the pre-season opener against Gateshead on Saturday (12:30pm kick-off). Although the midfielder is not expected to feature in the match due to the quick turnaround, he is likely to meet up with head coach Eddie Howe and take part in training with his new team-mates for the first time in the coming days.

He will travel to the United States with the Newcastle squad for the Premier League Summer Series which will see them face Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa.

Along with Tonali, other internationals such as Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes are also back.

Newcastle supporter Tom Jolly posted an image with Tonali on Twitter following the player’s return. Tonali’s partner Juliette Pastore also posted an image of Newcastle Quayside and the Tyne Bridge from the Hilton Hotel in Gateshead.

Following the signing of Tonali, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe told the club website: “I think he’s a high-level player.

“He’s got some great experiences already for such a young player. He’s won the Italian league, and this season got to the Champions League semi-final, full Italian international, so he brings a wealth of pedigree.

“I think he’s a player, also, of huge potential, because I think his best years are ahead of him. I think he’s got versatility in his game, as well, so I think he can play various roles for us.”

And Tonali is looking forward to getting started at his new club.

“I hope to come here and start as soon as possible, because I’ll have to make progress with the language,” he said. “It won’t be something easy to do, but it’s part of the path I have to take.

“The ambition of every player is to come to a team and win. I believe the first thing you should do is never stop, and then aim to win. This is everyone’s goal – to try to win as soon as possible.”