Newcastle United handed surprise team news boost ahead of Wolves clash

Newcastle United have been handed a shock team news lift ahead of Saturday afternoon’s Premier League clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers, as midfielder Sandro Tonali is seemingly available to play. It emerged yesterday that the 23-year-old will face a 10-month ban from football due to breaching betting rules but the Magpies are yet to be formally informed.

Tonali, who signed in the summer for a £55 million fee from AC Milan, has played 12 times for his new club, including three appearances in the UEFA Champions League. The Italy international will be a huge miss for Newcastle but manager Eddie Howe believes he could still have an involvement in the immediate future.

“It’s a difficult one because we’ve not had official confirmation as a football club yet. We’ve heard the news, speculation and statement but we haven’t had anything from the Italian authorities yet. We’re sort of in limbo at the moment. We’re waiting for that official confirmation to come through,” Howe said on Friday morning.

“There’s a high chance again that he could be available for us. I still think there are a few things that have to happen before the ban’s imposed. Let’s see. In the Dortmund game, he came on and did very well, he was bright and that’s how he’s trained. From the moment this happened, his training performances have been very good,” Howe continued.

Meanwhile, Newcastle ‘line up’ shock move for £55m Wolves favourite as Sandro Tonali alternative ‘found’.