Shock Sandro Tonali admission arrives from Eddie Howe - Explains a lot?
If I told you Sandro Tonali has only trained ONCE over the past month, you'd probably understand why he's looked below his best, wouldn't you?
Well, in this morning's press conference, Eddie Howe revealed exactly that. Due to injury niggles and the thigh problem he picked up over the last international break, the boss has confirmed that he's "hardly trained."
Our £55m signing was criticised by some members of the local media for recent displays against Brighton and AC Milan, but today's comments from Howe explain why the Italian is not yet up to full speed.
Howe insists it's no coincidence that he looked superb against Aston Villa, as this came after a full pre-season with the squad. However, just one training session with his new teammates since then "gives you a clue" - as Howe said this morning - about his failure to show his best form since the opening day of the season.
He feels training regularly is key to building relationships on the pitch and has no doubt that the 23-year-old will be firing on all cylinders soon, hailing his technical ability, athleticism, professionalism, character and commitment to the project at Newcastle.
Watch what Howe had to say below when asked about his recent form:
“I think since then he’s hardly trained with international duty (and) injuries. I think he’s had one training session in near enough a month, which will then give you a clue. That’s tough for any new player transitioning into a team. I think you need to train regularly, but he’s adapting really well.
"He's an outstanding technician, a very good athlete. He can play all the positions in midfield. But we need to give him time. I don't think we can judge signings in a month, I think let's take our time. I'm very patient because I know that the quality of the player that we have."
“As I said earlier, he’s an incredible personality. He’s very stable, and committed to the project here. I think he’ll grow as time goes on.”
