Pre-season, at last, is coming to a close.
In fewer than two weeks, Newcastle United will be back in Premier League action ahead of a huge season at St James’ Park.
Aston Villa will soon travel to Tyneside to kick off a campaign in which we can look forward to Champions League nights.
But before all that, there’s a chance for the new boys to get acquainted to life in front of thousands of screaming Geordies.
Indeed, both Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes are in line to feature at home for the first time since signing when Eddie Howe’s team play a friendly double-header against Fiorentina and Villarreal.
Ahead of the game, Barnes has been speaking about Tonali.
Harvey Barnes shares what he’s noticed about Sandro Tonali
The two will likely play some part in at least one of the games this weekend.
Barnes, who arrived slightly after Tonali, has shared some insight as to what he’s seen from his new Italian teammate.
“It’ll be really good for me and Sandro to have that first experience playing at St James’,” he told the club’s official social media channels.
“From what I’ve seen already, he’s a great player and he’s got a lot to bring to the team this season.”
The start of a new era for Newcastle
While not too many definitive conclusions can be drawn from pre-season games, this does look like the start of a new era for the club.
At just 23 and 25 respectively, Tonali and Barnes have a lot of their careers ahead of them.
Both of them were said to have been key targets of Howe himself, meaning the manager is getting more and more of a stamp of authority across his squad.
Long-term investments and big money signings, it will be fascinating to see them at St James’ for the first time.
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