Newcastle boss Eddie Howe confirms Sandro Tonali sub was injury-related

Eddie Howe has addressed the Sandro Tonali substitution last night, confirming it was injury-related.

Newcastle fought hard for an invaluable point at the San Siro last night. Considering it was a goalless draw to kick off the Champions League, it was a thriller throughout. In truth, if it wasn’t for Nick Pope between the sticks, the result could have been ugly for Eddie Howe.

But the players played well. Given how Newcastle set up defensively, the tactics weren’t too kind to the attackers who didn’t have much to feed on. But one midfield player who did his best to help out from an attacking standpoint was Sandro Tonali.

Before he was subbed off in the second half, Tonali essentially played as a left-winger. Admittedly, this is probably because Howe didn’t trust Dan Burn to get back in time to defend the Milan counter attacks.

For the Newcastle player ratings vs AC Milan, click here.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe confirms Sandro Tonali sub was injury-related

As mentioned, Sandro Tonali was substituted off in the match against his old side. On an emotional night for Tonali, his manager Howe has confirmed that he just wanted to manage the injury problem which Tonali currently faces. Luckily, it wasn’t worsened on the night, but the risk was there as the game became more physical in the second half.

Not only was the sub precautionary, but it helped Newcastle to set up more defensively as they planned to see out the game. It was boring football from Howe, but it worked. Hey, who am I to complain about coming away from the San Siro with a point?

What did you make of Newcastle’s display against AC Milan last night?