Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe provided an update on Sandro Tonali after Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup win over Tottenham.
Tonali, who has been struggling with illness of late, proved excellent as Newcastle United beat Tottenham 2-0 to reach the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
Many Newcastle United supporters may now be running out of superlatives to describe the Italian international.
The conversation may now be shifting. Rather than simply being regarded as one of their best current stars, it’s starting to feel as if he should be regarded as one of the best players to have ever pulled on the famous black and white shirt.
The Newcastle squad love Tonali and he is crucial to any hopes they have of a successful season.
With that in mind, Howe’s update on the 25-year-old after the game was brilliant to hear.
Sandro Tonali suffering from cramp after Newcastle United beat Tottenham
The midfielder could not start against Fulham due to illness, having remained on the bench for the Champions League win over Benfica last week because of it too.
Tonali started against Tottenham and proved as excellent as ever even in a relatively new-look midfield that also contained Jacob Ramsey and Joe Willock.
He was on the end of a crunching tackle from Pape Matar Sarr in the first half and looked in pain, while a reporter asked Howe about his fitness after he appeared to be “struggling towards the end.”
Luckily, the Newcastle United manager said: “He’s fine, just a little bit of cramp. Sandro is super fit but when you miss training for a few days due to his illness, it goes to show how finely-tuned these athletes are.”
Sandro Tonali still improving after Eddie Howe unlocks new levels
Tonali credits Howe for improving him as a player and despite hitting such a high level already, the midfielder is still developing.
His assist for Fabian Schar’s goal took his tally up to three this season. That’s as many as he recorded last season, so it’s clear that he’s still adding things to his game in a Newcastle shirt.
Tonali’s career-best season on the assist front came when he racked up ten in a single campaign while an AC Milan player during the 2022/23 season. In this kind of form, few would bet against him breaking that this time around.
The post 'He's fine': Eddie Howe shares fitness latest on key Newcastle star after Carabao Cup progress appeared first on Geordie Boot Boys.