‘I've had two lives’. Tonali has spoken out on his return to football after a ten-month ban

It has been just under a month since Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali served a ten-month ban due to a betting penalty and returned to the Forties squad. For the Italian himself, this time has been quite difficult.

As Tonali admitted, during this time he became a completely different person:

‘Before the mistake I had two lives, because I was very withdrawn and never socialised with people, also on the training ground, also with the staff. Now it's completely different. Every day is different, especially with the staff and my teammates, because it's okay to talk every day, it's okay to have a relationship.

Before these 10 months, before last year, I don't know, but it's a little bit different because I was a different person. I was two different people in my life and in football. Now I'm just one person, just one person. When I talk to the head coach, I'm Sandro. When I play, I'm Sandro. When I go back to Italy, I am Sandro. I have realised that in the last year and these 10 months,’ Tonali told Sky Sports.

After serving his suspension, the 24-year-old Italian midfielder has already played two matches, but has not yet scored.