Newcastle United are a physically imposing team, with Sandro Tonali leading the charge in the middle of the park with his relentless power.
The £55million man never seems to stop running, making him a key player for Newcastle United and Eddie Howe. Tonali has been called a ‘beast’ by teammate Leo Shahar, and that is certainly a sentiment that supporters will get behind.
The Italy international received a well-earned rest on Wednesday night, as Newcastle beat Bradford in the Carabao Cup. Howe made seven changes to his starting lineup, with Tonali spending the entire night on the bench.
In his absence, the Magpies got the job done. There were some strong performances in black and white, one of which came from summer signing Malick Thiaw.
Will Osula calls Malick Thiaw a ‘machine’ after Newcastle United vs Bradford City
Thiaw started for the second game running, deployed in a back four alongside Sven Botman. The 24-year-old produced a commanding performance, continuing his bright start to life on Tyneside.
He has certainly made an impression with his teammates, many of which were quick to praise him on social media following their Carabao Cup success.
After beating Bradford City, Thiaw posted on his official Instagram account: “Job done. Let’s move on!”
His centre-back partner, Botman, simply posted the word ‘frero’, which is French for ‘little brother’.
Nick Woltemade added: “top bro!!”
The most interesting comment came from Will Osula, who described Thiaw as a ‘machine’ following the win over Bradford.
It is the kind of praise you would expect Tonali to get, which speaks volumes about the impact Thiaw has had at St James’ Park since his £34million arrival from AC Milan.
- Who is Malick Thiaw? Meet the ‘very good’ defender Eddie Howe has brought to Newcastle United
When will Fabian Schar return for Newcastle United?
Thiaw has started two Newcastle United games in a row in the absence of Fabian Schar. The Swiss centre-back is enduring a spell on the sidelines after suffering a concussion during the Champions League defeat to Barcelona.
It is expected to rule him out of Newcastle vs Arsenal on Sunday in the Premier League, which should give Thiaw his biggest Toon opportunity since joining the club.
After that, the Magpies are back in Champions League action. They face Union Saint-Gilloise on 1st October, which is when Schar should be available to make his return after following concussion protocols.
It will be interesting to see whether Howe immediately puts Schar back into his starting XI or keeps his faith in the ‘machine’ that is Malick Thiaw.
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