Howe breaks silence on Sandro Tonali - A brilliant message on Friday morning
Eddie Howe has issued a message of support to Sandro Tonali, revealing that he's handling himself "really well" after a "very, very difficult" couple of weeks.
The Italian has been under investigation for alleged betting in football, with Sky Sports confirming that he's now confessed to gambling during his time at AC Milan and faces a ban of around 12 months.
Speaking to the press just moments ago, Howe admitted that he's in contention to play tomorrow after training twice this week, adding that the club have shown him "love and support" to help him cope and "find solutions to the problems he has."
The boss also encouraged the St James' Park crowd to "show him love" on Saturday, insisting he'll be a part of Newcastle's team for "many years" despite fears of a lengthy suspension.
Here's what Howe's had to say in his Friday morning press conference:
"He's had a very, very difficult couple of weeks and has been dealing with a lot.
"From what I can see he's handling himself really well and dealing with his emotions strongly but I'll have to make a call. He's trained twice this week with us and he's very much available for selection.
"I have to bring it back to football and what he's delivering on the pitch to try to make the best decision for the team.
"For me, the most important part of this whole incident is Sandro and his welfare. We feel as a football club, straight away, it was to throw our arms round him and protect him to give him the love and support he needs to find solutions to the problems he has.
"I’d encourage crowd to show him love tomorrow because he needs it. We will back him and we see him being part of our team for many years.
Asked about how and when he heard the news, Howe reflected on a phonecall from Dan Ashworth that came as a "total surprise."
"I got a phonecall from Dan Ashworth, I can't remember what day it was but it was during the international break.
"A total surprise to me, to him, to everybody. These are the things in this job and this role that can happen. As I said my immediate process was for Sandro and making sure he was ok. A very difficult period.
"There's so many different things in people's personal lives that can happen. Footballers are human beings and to look at them anything other is wrong.
"We all have vulnerabilities, weaknesses, things that happen in our lives that can be difficult so the main thing is if we identify it, support the player as we'll always do, try and help them get to their best level on the football pitch."
