Sandro Tonali feels like a “new player, a new transfer,” following the end of his 10-month ban for betting offences and has paid an emotional tribute to Newcastle United fans for treating him as “if I’d been here for 10 years.”
Tonali is in line to make his return to Eddie Howe’s team for Newcastle’s Carabao Cup tie at Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night and the Italy international is itching to get going.
As The Athletic reported on Tuesday, Newcastle believe they have a better, quicker player on their hands after giving the 24-year-old a bespoke training programme during his absence, including sprinting drills and adjusting his running style.
“Ten months is a long time especially for a footballer who lives for (weekends) so it was hard work,” Tonali told Newcastle’s official website in his first major interview since his suspension. “I trained every day, even more than when I was playing.
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“I was lucky enough to have all the people at Newcastle who were always by my side and always close to me and this really helped me a lot, from the first day in October to today. I had constant support from everyone, from the coach (Howe), JT (Jason Tindall, Newcastle’s assistant manager) and everyone else in the team but also the chefs, the cleaning guy, the secretaries, all of them.
“There isn’t a single person who didn’t show me support — same with the fans. They gave me the same love they’d have given me if I’d been here for 10 years. And I’d only just arrived a few months previously, so this really made me think a lot. It made me realise what the Newcastle fans are made of.”
Tonali also described himself as “excited” about the prospect of playing in front of Newcastle’s “crazy” supporters.
“I am a new player, a new transfer. I played eight games last season and it was so difficult for me to play eight games and then have 10 months without a game,” Newcastle’s £55million signing from AC Milan last summer said. “I am excited to be here at Newcastle and not in another place because I have a top team, top fans and I can’t wait for the time I come back on the pitch.”
(Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
