NEWCASTLE, England (AP) — Sandro Tonali is set to make his return for Newcastle on Wednesday after a 10-month ban for breaching betting rules, with manager Eddie Howe saying the Italy midfielder feels “at the next stage” of his career.
Tonali joined Newcastle from AC Milan in the offseason of 2023 but only played 12 games before he was handed a long suspension by the Italian soccer federation in October for betting on Milan and another Italian club, Brescia, when he played for those teams.
An independent regulatory commission also sanctioned Tonali with an extra two-month ban that was suspended until the end of this season.
The 10-month suspension ends late Tuesday, enabling Tonali to be available for Newcastle’s League Cup match at Nottingham Forest the following day.
Howe said Tonali would be in the squad provided he isn’t injured in the final training session Tuesday and said the midfielder will experience a range of emotions.
“Probably a lot of excitement — you feel like you are at the next stage of your career really,” Howe said. “When you have a long period of time out, (you have) a long time to think, analyze and reflect.
“I’m sure he’s done all of those things and now he’s doing what he loves, which is playing football and that will be an incredible release for him.”
Tonali has been back in training with Newcastle but hasn’t been able to play in any friendlies, though British newspaper The Guardian has reported he took part in a behind-closed-doors game against Burnley recently with coaching staff as referees.
“He’s fit, he just doesn’t have the match (fitness), the bigger spaces, the 11 vs. 11. Every footballer will tell you what is the most important thing – the game time,” Howe said.
“But he’s done everything else, has completed all the training for a long period of time, he’s worked incredibly hard with the sports-science team to be on top of his fitness and make sure he’s fitter than when he got banned.”
Howe said the microscope will be on Tonali for some time.
“I think he understands that, we understand that. It’s small steps,” Howe said. “I think for us, we just expect him to be himself and play his game.
“He is a very intelligent footballer, a very good technician. He has to play to his strengths and not do anything out of the ordinary — that will be hugely effective for us.”
Tonali’s agent, Giuseppe Riso, acknowledged around the time the midfielder’s ban was issued that his client had a gambling problem. Tonali agreed to a plea bargain with the Italian federation that included therapy for a gambling addiction.
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