Eddie Howe hopes Sandro Tonali feels Newcastle United ‘love’ amid betting investigation scandal

NEWCASTLE: In August, Eddie Howe fell in love with Sandro Tonali, now he hopes the Italian knows just how much Newcastle United cares.

The slick, skilled showing against Aston Villa on the opening day of the Premier League season had Howe head over heels and fans believing Magpies’ transfer chiefs had unearthed a world class gem.

Now, in tougher times, with his biggest battles potentially ahead of him, Tonali was thrust forward by his peers to take the praise and adulation of a fan base still in shock that their star summer signing could be set for a lengthy ban, if Italian authorities come down hard on his alleged illegal betting activities.

Tonali may well find out his fate this week. But even if it results in a ban, the 23-year-old should be in no doubt he has the Geordie nation behind him, according to Howe.

“A big thank you from me to our supporters. That reception at the end today was incredible and it was emotional,” said the head coach.

“He’s going through an incredibly emotional time and the supporters reacted how I hoped they would. I could feel the love between him and them and that will do him the world of good, he’ll feel much better.

“We don’t know what’s ahead for him. He very much wanted to play and perform for sure. There was no decision to make for me, I could see that from how he’s trained so there wasn’t a part of me that went ‘he’s not ready to play football’ it was just about introducing him at the right time and I thought he did well after he came on. Hopefully this is a step forward to him for moving forward in his life.”

If found to have broken rules, Tonali could face a ban of up to three years, which could essentially bring an end to his Newcastle career right in its infancy. Howe,