‘Waiting for clarity’: Eddie Howe now says ‘outstanding’ midfielder may not be able to train after all

Eddie Howe has confirmed that Newcastle United are still waiting for clarification on the precise terms of Sandro Tonali's ban from football.

On Friday it was confirmed that Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali had been suspended from 'football activities' for 10 months after admitting to breaching betting rules while playing for Brescia and AC Milan.

The terms of the ban were that he would be unable to play for Newcastle for 10 months, but as long as the £55 million summer signing participated in rehab and gave talks about the dangers of gambling for an additional eight months, he would be allowed to return to action a lot sooner than first feared.

To train or not to train? That seems to be the question

It was also reported widely that Tonali would be allowed to train with the Magpies and also partake in any friendly fixtures that popped up on the calendar, but that may not be the case after all.

Serena Taylor/Newcastle United Football Club via Getty Images

Eddie Howe was asked this morning in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Carabao Cup game with Manchester United whether Tonali would be allowed to train during his suspension.

Howe gave a very short response that hinted at a spot of frustration on the part of the head coach:

"We're still waiting for clarity."

It's amazing that the club still doesn't know where it stands

How Newcastle United can still be unaware of all the details four days after the ban was ratified is astounding to us, though we shouldn't be surprised given how things seem to work with the Italian FA.

Owen Humphreys/PA

Hopefully, Tonali will be allowed to keep training with the team in order to keep his fitness up as well as the camaraderie with the group which will be essential for when he returns.

It seems crazy to make someone with an addiction sit at home twiddling his thumbs for 10 months, so let's hope we get some positive confirmation on this matter soon.