Howe “needed his legs” but was “hesitant” to put on Tonali during Newcastle’s victory.

Howe’s “reluctance” to use Tonali during Newcastle’s victory over Forest
With his team ahead 4-1 at halftime, the midfielder was probably going to spend the entire day on the bench.

However, Howe was afraid that the game might get out of hand after Forest’s second goal of the afternoon, so he substituted Tonali in the 70th minute.

Even though the Italian was on the field when the visitors scored a late third goal to frighten Newcastle,

the Magpies eventually held on to win and tie fourth-place Manchester City on points.

 

Speaking about Tonali at a news conference after the game, Howe stated, “He had a hamstring problem in the week, he missed a couple of days training.”

“We thought we needed his legs in midfield with the second half as it was, but I didn’t really want to risk him today.

He claimed to feel well enough to play. Even though he was a reluctant sub, I felt he performed well when he came on and touched wood.

After ten straight Premier League starts in which he played the entire ninety minutes, Tonali was kept on the bench.

GET MORE RELATED NEWS AT : sportviewers.com