The ‘wild’ Sandro Tonali message that Eddie Howe must pay very close attention to ahead of Newcastle return

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Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe will have been delighted to see Sandro Tonali shine for Italy once again.

The 24-year-old scored his first ever goal for his country on Thursday night, as Italy beat Belgium 1-0 in the Nations League.

The Italian media praised Tonali for his performance, with the midfielder once again playing the full 90 minutes for the Azzurri.

Luciano Spalletti continues to get the best out of Tonali, at a time when the former AC Milan superstar is out of the Newcastle United starting XI.

Eddie Howe has found a recipe for success, and sadly for Tonali it has resulted in him dropping to the bench.

Meanwhile, there has been debate over his best position. Tonali was outstanding as a six against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup, while he has primarily played as an eight in the Premier League.

What Luciano Spalletti has said about Sandro Tonali

But Luciano Spalletti’s latest comments on Tonali should give Howe food for thought, as he ponders how to get the best out of his midfield maestro from Milano.

Following Italy’s win over Belgium, Spalletti spoke to Tuttomercatoweb about his midfield three of Nicolo Barella, Sandro Tonali and Davide Frattesi.

“They were perfect,” he said.

“Barella is a master at positioning himself to find spaces; he knows how to drop back and play as a double pivot.

“He can break beyond the defensive line like a second striker, he has a good shot from distance: he’s perfect for that role, which is what I had previously tried with Pellegrini. He also has some good qualities.

“Frattesi and Tonali seem more like runners, more like wild horses for open spaces. We have an incredibly strong midfield in terms of quality and the ability to sense where they need to position themselves.”

Newcastle need to utilise Tonali’s running power

Spalletti has compared Tonali to a horse, which seems laughable. However, he is complimenting his running power and ability to get up and down the pitch.

That has been a consistent theme in his performances for Italy. Tonali was recently called a ‘madman’ for the way he was able to run around so much, with his athleticism proving to be a very attractive quality.

And it is perhaps that quality that will continue to convince Howe that Tonali should operate as a number eight, rather than a number six.

While he was sensational in that deeper role against Chelsea in the cup, he also boasts the type of running power that Bruno Guimaraes does not possess.

In that respect, it would be wise to keep playing Bruno in the six and use Tonali as an eight.

However, that means Tonali will need to force either Joe Willock or Sean Longstaff out of the team if he is to return to the starting XI. Given how well they are playing, that will be extremely difficult.