Eddie Howe has now done a complete u-turn on Sandro Tonali decision behind the scenes

It has been a decent start for Sandro Tonali at Newcastle United, but there is so much more to come.

The midfielder is expected to start against his old club AC Milan tonight, having been left on the bench for the 1-0 win over Brentford.

That was partially down to fitness, but it also came after Newcastle were beaten 3-1 by Brighton before the international break. Tonali struggled at the Amex Stadium, and was at fault for one of the Seagulls’ goals.

It was a poor performance, and a reminder that Tonali is not going to be an instant success on Tyneside.

One reason for that is the language barrier. Having arrived from Milan in the summer, he is still getting to grips with the English language.

His inability to fully communicate with his teammates and coaches has hindered him, and now Eddie Howe has taken action.

Sandro Tonali now has a translator at Newcastle

According to the Telegraph, it has now been decided that Tonali will have his own translator to relay tactical information before a game.

The report states that Howe did not initially want Tonali to have a translator, as he feared it would slow down his progress learning English. However, he has now changed his mind.

The Telegraph state that Tonali’s inability to fully take in information given to him has hindered his and the team’s performance, so hopefully that is no longer going to be an issue.

As long as the 23-year-old is still learning English then this is absolutely the correct decision. There will come a time when he does not need the translator, but for now it makes sense to lean on someone else to relay important messages to the midfielder.

Hopefully this means we will see an improvement from Tonali, who has still enjoyed a bright start at Newcastle United. His debut against Aston Villa was outstanding, and Howe will be keen for him to play like that on a regular basis.