Sandro Tonali update as Newcastle United await FA investigation verdict

Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali is now into the fifth month of his 10-month betting ban.

The 23-year-old has continued to train with Newcastle's first-team despite being ineligible to play. Tonali joined Newcastle for an Italian record £52million from AC Milan in the summer but his first season has been limited to just 12 appearances before he was served a lengthy ban.

Unfortunately for Tonali and Newcastle, the midfielder can't play in any friendly or competitive matches until his ban officially ends on Tuesday, August 27. But the Italian remains under investigation by England's Football Association, who could potentially extend his ban if found guilty.

In the meantime, Newcastle will be working with Tonali on the basis he will be returning in the opening weeks of the 2024-25 season. And head coach Howe is pleased with the progress the midfielder is making behind the scenes as he follows a tailored training plan.

"We have spent time with him identifying areas of his game that we want to improve," Howe said. "He's got a lot of time to do that so we have spent a lot of time with him doing that.

"That naturally engages your brain into what you're doing. If we had not done that and it was just random training for him that was not specialised, that's when he could potentially drift mentally.

"I have to say he has been very good in supporting his team-mates and very good in making the training sessions better for everybody. I've definitely seen an improvement in his game despite the fact he is not playing.

"That can sometimes be very difficult to improve your game without getting the match stimulus you need, but he has played in training games and bigger pitch stuff. It's important that we do that for him so athletically he does not suffer." Tonali made an instant impact following his arrival at Newcastle with a goal just minutes into his Premier League debut against Aston Villa. The Magpies went on to win the game 5-1 at St James' Park.

But Tonali's impact and influence on the side faded after that. After Newcastle lost three of their opening four matches, Tonali dropped out of the starting line-up, starting just one of the five Premier League matches prior to his suspension.