Sandro Tonali is an 'important' player with a 'high profile' who will bring 'great experience' to Newcastle United.
That is according to Paolo Nicolato, the manager of Italy under-21s, who has seen Tonali blossom for club and country after working with the midfielder at various age groups at international level. It was Nicolato, for instance, who handed Tonali the captain's armband at the UEFA under-21 European Championships.
Italy have since been knocked out of the tournament following just a single win in the group stages. The Azzurrini ultimately missed out on second place on goal difference in the head-to-head record after finishing level on points with Switzerland.
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Newcastle will have envisaged Italy getting out of the groups, which would have delayed Tonali's arrival on Tyneside, but the Magpies will now be able to formally complete a £55m move in the coming days after finalising negotiations with AC Milan.
Tonali has already spoken to international team-mate Wilfried Gnonto, who plays for Leeds United, about the switch and the Premier League. Gnonto knows Tonali 'very well' and told ChronicleLive that his countryman is an 'incredible player' before backing the 23-year-old to be an 'important' figure for Newcastle. Although Nicolato has understandably not discussed the move with Tonali, the Italy under-21 boss echoed Gnonto's words.
“We haven't talked about his transfer," the Italian told reporters. "For me, he is an important player, he has great experience and with me he was European under-19 runner-up. He is a player with a high profile. We expect a lot from him as we expect a lot from everyone”.
