The Newcastle United players have been training in preparation for Wednesday night’s game against Manchester United, but one man who has not been involved is Sandro Tonali.
The 23-year-old recently received a 10-month ban after being investigated by the Italian Football Federation for betting. The ban was announced last Thursday, but did not become official until Friday evening. That led to a strange situation where it looked like he would be able to play against Wolves.
However, he was inevitably unable to feature, and will not play for Newcastle until August 2024.
While he will not be able to play against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup fourth round at Old Trafford, his suspension is not the reason he has not been involved in the Magpies’ pre-match preparations.
Eddie Howe explains why Sandro Tonali has not trained in the buildup to Manchester United
Eddie Howe has spoke to the media ahead of Newcastle’s game against Manchester United, and was asked where Sandro Tonali currently is after confirmation of his ban.
“He’s here,” he said.
“He’s not trained with the group yet as we’re still awaiting that clarity. But he’s in Newcastle.”
Newcastle will want an answer quickly
When Tonali’s ban was confirmed, it was reported that the midfielder would still be able to train with Newcastle United during his suspension.
That was a huge boost, as it meant he could continue his adaptation to life on Tyneside and continue to be a prominent member of the group as he settles into being a Newcastle United player.
But Howe’s latest comments state that Tonali is actually yet to train with the Magpies since is ban kicked in on Friday night. The club appear to be erring on the side of confirmation and want official confirmation and clarity that he can train during his suspension.
While it is frustrating that he has not trained, Newcastle are right to be careful if they are not sure about what Tonali can and can’t do. If he does something wrong, it could potentially result in even more punishment, which would be an absolute disaster.
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