Alessandro Costacurta says Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali need not fear his sooner-than-anticipated return to the San Siro tonight in the Champions League.
The defender, who played 458 times for AC Milan, has told FourFourTwo "I’d be really surprised if the Milan fans whistled him. After his superb performances for the club, I think they would applaud him.”
The Italian midfielder's summer transfer from the San Siro to St. James' Park was a surprise to people on both sides of the deal. "There was a feeling of shock," explains Costacurta when AC Milan agreed a €70 million fee for their 23-year-old midfielder who had supported the Rossoneri since he was a boy.
"He didn’t have the captain’s armband but for everyone, me included, he was the ideal Rossoneri skipper. I thought Sandro could stay at Milan his whole career, but he understood the significance of the fee that Newcastle had paid – with that money, Milan have signed three or four good players."
VIDEO: Sandro Tonali Solves Newcastle United's Biggest Problem
Tonali is a man of few words, especially in English, and fewer emotions. Under the microscope fans and media tried to read the Italian international's feelings as he adapted to life in England away from his homeland and beloved Milan.
A clip from a video that chronicled his arrival on Tyneside went viral. Being shown around Newcastle's gym he was caught describing the AC Milan gym as 'bigger' than the one at his new home.
"Tonali is a player who doesn’t let his emotions out – he’s always very serious, and he’s in a serious relationship too. He doesn’t go out to nightclubs if it isn’t for a team party.
"He also understood that joining Newcastle was an incredible chance for him to grow in the most important league in the world. He would have happily done it at Milan, but this is a big opportunity. He had to accept that Milan wanted to sell him."
He has had a mixed start to live in England, scoring six minutes into his home debut as Newcastle enjoyed a head-turning 5-1 win vs Aston Villa. But three straight defeats followed, with Tonali criticised slightly for the opening goal in a 3-1 defeat away at Brighton.
He returned from the international break with a minor injury and was an unused substitute at the weekend vs Brentford. But many in Newcastle circles expect him to start in the San Siro, a venue he knows better than any other.
"To begin with he was compared to Andrea Pirlo because they have similar hair" says Costacurta, who reminds us that Piro and Tonali both started their careers at Brescia.
"Tonali has good feet, even if they aren’t those of Pirlo yet. I know that Sandro feels more like Gennaro Gattuso, but he can become a proper player because he has so much quality. Gattuso is my friend, but he definitely didn’t possess the quality of Tonali – Gennaro was a player who ran himself into the ground.
“Tonali said he wanted to be inspired by Gattuso, who gave everything on the pitch. Tonali is somewhere between Pirlo and Gattuso. He’s tidy on the ball but runs a lot and is very aggressive."
Perhaps, how he feels about returning to play against his boyhood club less than two months after leaving will only become clear after the full-time whistle tonight. But Alessandro Costacurta predicts there will be no whistles for him during the game.
AC Milan vs Newcastle kicks off at 5.45pm (BST) for more details on how to watch, click here
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