Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe has, on Saturday evening, provided an update on the wellbeing of midfield star Sandro Tonali.
For those who may have missed it, Newcastle marked their post-international break return to action a short time ago.
On the back of an alarming stretch of three straight Premier League defeats, the Magpies welcomed Brentford to St. James’ Park, eyeing a much-needed return to winning ways.
And, when all was said and done, this is precisely what the day’s hosts managed.
This came owing to a solitary strike on the part of Callum Wilson, midway through the 2nd-half.
WILSON!! NEWCASTLE LEAD! 🎯 pic.twitter.com/BUkDmZJBgE
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 16, 2023
As alluded to above, though, on an all-round positive day’s work for Newcastle, one high-profile performer to have missed out on the action comes in the form of Sandro Tonali.
Speaking to the media post-match, it therefore came as little surprise when the subject of the fitness of the big-money summer addition to his squad was put to Eddie Howe.
This comes ahead of a crunch Champions League showdown with Tonali’s former club, AC Milan, next week.
And Newcastle’s boss went on to reveal that, though he would only have been utilised in the case of an ‘emergency’ today, the 23-year-old should be available to feature from the off at San Siro:
🗣️ Eddie Howe: “A massive win. We needed it. We weren’t at our free-flowing best but there was a lot to like about our resilience, work-rate and commitment.”
🇮🇹 Sandro Tonali would have been used “only in an emergency” but he should be OK to feature on return to Milan on Tuesday pic.twitter.com/qU7St8jLSD
— Craig Hope (@CraigHope_DM) September 16, 2023
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