Newcastle’s players have been starring on international duty as several of them came in for high praise in the past week, with one being singled out as particularly impressive ahead of the Premier League return.
Hall among Newcastle players starring on international duty
Headlining Newcastle’s international break was Anthony Gordon, who finally got a chance to impress for England in their Nations League opener against Ireland and seized it with both hands. The winger was a constant threat behind the Irish defence and saw plenty of praise across the media in the aftermath, handed an 8/10 rating by the Independent.
“Very lively, providing much needed pace and genuine width to the left wing – both of which were missing during the Euros – while also popping up in other dangerous areas. Should have scored shortly before Rice’s opener, but the diagonal run unlocked Ireland’s defence.”
Another excellent performance lay in wait for his Newcastle teammate Alexander Isak, who has formed a formidable partnership with Viktor Gyokeres at international level. The Newcastle man grabbed two goals against Azerbaijan, before following it up with another clinical effort against Estonia.
There were also outings on the international stage for Miguel Almiron and Bruno Guimaraes, whose Paraguay and Brazil face off on Wednesday in the final round of international break fixtures.
And at youth level Newcastle stars impressed too; Lewis Hall caught the eye playing at left back for England’s U21 side, with the former Chelsea man picking up two assists in a 4-1 thrashing of Austria on Tuesday evening.
Midfielder stars in both games for his country
That comes with Newcastle’s returning midfielder Sandro Tonali scooping widespread praise for his pair of performances for the Azzurri over the international break.
Still a youngster himself at 24 years of age, he has barely featured since penning his £120,000 a week deal on Tyneside 12 months ago courtesy of a gambling ban, but made his return to widespread acclaim against Tottenham just before the international break.
Called up Luciano Spalletti, he grabbed an assist against France before being asked to start his second game in a week against Israel. Though he did not contribute to either of his side’s goals in their 2-1 win in Budapest, he came away having impressed plenty, and the Italian media were full of praise for his performance.
Minutes | 90 |
Shots (on target) | 1 (1) |
Passes completed | 37 |
Pass accuracy | 90% |
Passes into final third | 9 |
Tackles and interceptions | 4 |
Sports Keeda handed him a 7.5/10, the joint-highest rating for anyone in an Italian shirt that evening, while others had similarly high praise.
“Not only does he create, but he shows an overflowing physical condition despite coming from a year of suspension. There is no way around it: with him in the construction phase, Italy is a different team and his value soars”, Eurosport Italy wrote.
Leggo handed him a 7/10, saying: “He covers a lot of kilometres and also puts in a lot of quality. A modern midfielder, capable of doing everything with great naturalness. He even comes close to scoring. He never stops. Inexhaustible.”
Now back from his ban, the Italian will undoubtedly be a massive bonus for Howe this season, with the Newcastle boss having previously singled him out for praise.
“He was magnificent. The goal, sometimes these things are just meant to happen, and he’s arrived in the box and it’s a great finish”, the Newcastle boss revealed after Tonali scored on his Toon debut last season. Should he be in the starting XI against Wolves?
