Sandro Tonali has been receiving huge amounts of praise as he prepares to return to Newcastle United.
The 24-year-old has been away on international duty, starting both of Italy’s Nations League games.
Tonali was called a ‘madman’ after his performance against Belgium, in which Italy drew 2-2 after going down to 10 men.
They were then victorious on Monday night, with Italy beating Israel 4-1. Tonali was praised again by the Italian media, with the midfielder being hailed for his running power.
Luciano Spalletti impressed by ‘incredible’ Sandro Tonali moment
Newcastle United are keen to ensure that Tonali does not burn out, after missing 10 months of action.
But the Italian national team are taking a different approach, and getting every minute they possibly can out of the former AC Milan superstar.
He was substituted in the final 10 minutes of the game against Belgium, while he has featured in every minute of Italy’s other three Nations League games.
Luciano Spalletti appears to have no concerns over Tonali‘s condition, and was actually blown away by something that he did in the 90th minute of the win over Israel.
“He is a very strong player, immense I would say for what he is doing,” he said, as reported by FC Inter News.
“He made two runs in the 90 minutes with pace, frequency and strength that were really incredible.
“When he turns on the car, it goes loud and when he puts it back in the garage it goes strong anyway.”
Sandro Tonali showing no signs of tiredness ahead of Newcastle return
As Spalletti says, Tonali was running at full pelt even in the 90th minute, at a time when his team were 4-1 up and the result was not going to change.
That epitomises Tonali’s hunger, as he continues to make up for lost time.
He has made a real impression on the international stage since returning to action, and now Eddie Howe will hope to see the same from him in a Newcastle United shirt.
The Italian has done well on his Toon return. Newcastle fans were really impressed with Tonali’s comeback against Nottingham Forest, while Tonali also did well in the draw with Manchester City.
But now Eddie Howe needs consistency from Tonali. In fact, that is what he needs from all of his Newcastle United players, starting on Saturday against Brighton.
That running power of Tonali’s can really help the Magpies, as Howe continues to work towards getting Newcastle back to their full throttle best. We saw it against Manchester City, and it resulted in Newcastle’s best performance of the season.
Beyond that game, the Magpies’ pressing has been poor. That can change with Tonali in the team, as he continues to try and establish himself as a Premier League star.
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