Sandro Tonali was left out of Newcastle United’s starting line-up for the second successive match as they beat Fulham 2-1 on Saturday afternoon.
The 25-year-old midfielder was an unused substitute for Newcastle’s 3-0 win over Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday night before remaining on the bench for the return to Premier League action against Fulham at St James’ Park.
Tonali watched on from the bench as Jacob Murphy’s first-half opener was cancelled out by Sasa Lukic’s header for Fulham.
The Gazette has launched a new WhatsApp NUFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone.Simply click this linkto join our NUFC WhatsApp channel.
The Italian came off the bench for Lewis Miley for the final half hour of the match as Newcastle pushed for a winner and eventually found it in the 90th minute through captain Bruno Guimaraes.
Ahead of Saturday’s match, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe admitted Tonali was ‘touch and go’ for the game due to an illness.
In Friday’s press conference, Howe said: “Sandro's still the player we're monitoring. He did train on Wednesday but didn't feel 100%, so he's the one that's probably touch and go for the game.”
Tonali missed training ahead of Newcastle’s match against Benfica but trained ahead of the Fulham before being named on the bench.
What Sandro Tonali told Eddie Howe during Fulham match
When asked about Tonali’s fitness following the win over Fulham, Howe said: “I think all options were open. I had a little chat with Sandro at the start of the second half as the game was developing and I just said, look, how do you feel? Do you feel like you can come on and be yourself? And he said, yeah, I feel okay.
“Whereas [on Friday], talking to him, he still felt that he wasn't 100% fit. So, it's great to have him so honest and thinking of the team, not himself. It's a great quality to have.”
Lewis Miley kept his place in the starting line-up in the No. 6 role against Fulham while Joelinton came into the midfield in place of Jacob Ramsey.
Now Newcastle face another quick turnaround in preparation for Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup clash against Tottenham Hotspur at St James’ Park.
Newcastle are looking to retain the Carabao Cup, having won the competition last season with a 2-1 win against Liverpool at Wembley Stadium.
The winners of Wednesday night’s match will progress to the quarter-finals of the competition.
Continue Reading