Sandro Tonali hailed ‘an animal’ by Premier League rival after latest Italy display

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Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali has been in great form over the October international break.

Sandro Tonali has had no problems catching back up to speed this season after returning from his 10-month suspension.

Eddie Howe deserves credit for slowly reintegrating the 24-year-old back into his Newcastle side this season and Tonali is now proving why the club spent £55m on his signature.

Tonali was one of 12 Newcastle players called up for international duty this week and he has started back-to-back games for Italy.

Italian media reacted to Tonali’s “madman” display against Belgium, and Tonali impressed against Israel on Monday evening in what turned out to be a 4-1 win for Italy.

Sandro Tonali hailed ‘an animal’ by Italy teammate

Tonali played the full 90 minutes against Israel and dominated the match from midfield.

He ended the match with 80 touches, an 88 percent passing accuracy and one key pass. Tonali also won the penalty which was scored by Mateo Retegui for the opener.

After the match, Tonali’s Italy teammate Riccardo Calafiori was full of praise for the Newcastle star.

Calafiori joined Tonali in the Premier League this summer after completing a £42m move to top-flight rivals Arsenal.

As quoted by Tuttomercatoweb, Calafiori said: “What is he [Tonali] giving us that is different compared to the European Championship? He is an animal, he combines quantity with quality.

“You can see that the Premier League helps a lot guys like him, like me and like other guys”.

Sandro Tonali is returning to his best

Tonali’s return to the squad this season was like having a new signing, and after the disappointment of the summer window, he might be the best one too.

It was no coincidence that Newcastle’s best performance of the season came against Manchester City when Howe started Tonali alongside Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton in midfield.

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That midfield trio are now reaching full fitness and finding their match rhythm, especially Tonali.

Newcastle return to action on Saturday afternoon against Brighton, and supporters can expect to see Tonali getting plenty more minutes now he is up to speed.