PL Rival star praises Newcastle's £55M ace midfielder in Italy's Nations League win

Newcastle United's 2024/25 campaign hasn't gone the way till now they had expected it to. Even though the Magpies club has 12 points from the first seven PL matchdays, the unit's performances have been largely inconsistent. While on some occasions, Eddie Howe's side has looked brilliant, their performances have been sloppy on the others.

PL Rival star praises Newcastle's £55M ace midfielder in Italy's Nations League win

However, even in Newcastle's not-so-convincing 2024/25 campaign this far, they have had some brilliant positives, which could be crucial for their season ahead. One of them has been their ace midfielder, Sandro Tonali's return on the big stage after being out of action for around 10 months. Though much credit goes to manager Eddie Howe for completing the player's steady transition back into the Magpies unit, Tonali deserves praise, too.

Be it the game against Manchester City, or against Everton, or some essential cameos in the PL, the midfield star has been largely proving why Newcastle had spent a hefty £55 million for his services. Moreover, while the player has been solid in the Magpies midfield, he has felt even better in the Italian national side since his return. Once again, in Italy's recent fixture against Israel, the player was crucial in comforting the side's massive 4-1 victory.

Recording 80 touches, winning key duels, and maintaining an overall 88% pass accuracy, the ace midfielder felt omnipresent in Italy's fixture against Israel. Be it making key passes, ensuring long balls, or delivering crosses, Tonali was significantly active on the club's offensive front. Even though he could not get his name on the scoreline, Tonali played a key role in Italy's recent win.

Given his performance, national side teammate Riccardo Calafiori had huge praise for the Magpies star after the fixture. Even though Calafiori is Tonali's PL rival, having joined Arsenal this summer, the center-back didn't hesitate to praise him for his masterclass display. Calafiori remarked about Tonali,

""He is an animal; he combines quantity with quality. You can see that the Premier League helps a lot of guys like him, like me, and like other guys.”"

- Riccardo Calafiori

As the Gunner star mentioned, the Premier League and, most importantly, Newcastle have had a great role in bringing the ace midfielder back to his best. Now that the international break is over for Tonali, Newcastle fans would hope that the star midfielder returns with the same form in the club's colors, playing a key role in their aspirations of a top-4 PL finish this season.