Sandro Tonali made his Newcastle United debut on Tuesday, and immediately proved why he cost so much money.
The 23-year-old was named in Eddie Howe’s starting XI for the game against Rangers, and played a starring role in the opening 45 minutes.
Tonali was excellent at Ibrox, and immediately looked at home in a black and white shirt. He combined brilliantly with Kieran Trippier and Miguel Almiron at times, while he also played a crucial role in the opening goal of the night.
Howe was delighted with what he saw from the midfielder, and rightly so. It was a great start, and a brilliant foundation to build upon ahead of the Premier League Summer Series in America.
The Italy international will hope to get more minutes in the tank over in the States, and he has now commented on his Toon debut via his official Instagram account.
Sandro Tonali happy as Toon career gets off to a ‘good start’
Following the win over Rangers, Tonali uploaded a selection of pictures from his first ever Newcastle appearance.
He added the caption: “Good start! Focussed on the next.”
His post received a reply from Sven Botman, who also made his first pre-season appearance on Tuesday night.
The defender posted a heart and a love eyes emoji, which pretty much sums up how Toon fans feel about the summer recruit.
Newcastle fans already in love with Tonali
It was a glorious start to his Newcastle career, showcasing why the club invested so much money in him. He is now the Magpies’ second most expensive signing ever, but will hopefully prove to be worth every penny of the £55million he cost.
The early signs are promising, with Tonali shining in that righthand side channel. He will be competing with Sean Longstaff for that position, with the local lad truly making it his own last season.
But based on last night’s evidence, Longstaff might have a fight on his hands to retain his place in the starting XI.
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