Sandro Tonali Injury Update
Sandro Tonali’s latest injury update isn’t what Newcastle or Italy fans wanted at all. He was forced off the pitch against Liverpool after complaining of pain in his shoulder and arm—and if you saw his face in that moment, well, it was the kind of look that makes even the hardest fans wince just a little. The team lost 3-2, but everybody seemed to be talking more about the midfielders hobbling off than the scoreline by the end of the night.
So, what’s the nature of Tonali’s injury? From all the official chatter, it sounds bad—possibly a shoulder dislocation. He tried to play on, real fighter stuff, but couldn’t move his arm at all. If you’ve ever stubbornly refused to leave a five-a-side game after rolling an ankle, you know that feeling, only Tonali’s stakes are a little higher. Howe subbed him in the second half, and the reports the next day sounded pretty grim: lots of “threatening” and “significant setback” tossed around by people who rarely let emotion slip into their talking points but this time couldn’t quite hide the concern.
On management’s comments, Eddie Howe looked genuinely frustrated (or maybe just exhausted?) after the match. He said it “doesn’t look good” and admitted Tonali was in “considerable discomfort.” Not the type of discomfort you walk off with a bag of ice and a little physio magic. Howe went on about how much both Tonali and Joelinton (who also picked up an injury, for good measure) matter to this squad. He even joked—sort of—about how losing so many starters at once right as the Champions League looms is the kind of thing that could turn a manager’s hair grey overnight. There’s a little gallows humor in football at times, and right now, Newcastle probably needs it.
Some fans have started speculating about whether Tonali will miss Italy’s upcoming qualifiers against Estonia and Israel in September, and honestly, right now it feels like a coin flip. Italy’s new coach, Gattuso, is expected to announce his first squad later this week. Would Tonali be called even if only to hang around for moral support? Maybe, maybe not. The whole situation has echoes of those frantic end-of-transfer-window scrambles, with Newcastle suddenly short in midfield and looking nervously at the medical team for good news that stubbornly refuses to arrive.
Nobody loves injury news, especially when it hits a player who brings both grit and flair. For now, Newcastle and Italy are hoping for a little luck—and maybe the world’s fastest recovery.
