Alan Shearer has hailed “star of the show” Sandro Tonali following his outstanding display in yesterday’s 5-1 win over Aston Villa at St James’ Park.
Speaking on Match of the Day, the birthday boy – who turned 53 today – also praised the “superb” Anthony Gordon, “magnificent” Alexander Isak and new signing Harvey Barnes; who also impressed with a goal and an assist on his first league appearance for the club.
However, it was Italian Sandro Tonali who received in-depth analysis and the highest praise from Shearer, who hailed his goal – and movement to score – creativity, range of passing, work rate and defensive contribution. It really was the complete display from the 23-year-old.
Shearer also highlighted that the £55m fee could prove to be a “bargain” based on the fees we’ve seen other midfielders go for this summer, with Brighton’s Moises Caicedo set to cost Chelsea a whopping £110m.
Here’s what Shearer had to say when speaking on MOTD last night:
“There were some impressive performances there today at St James’ Park, Gordon was superb, Isak was magnificent, Harvey Barnes on his debut with a goal and an assist.
“The star of the show was Tonali. As debuts go, this is as good as it gets.
“It was the perfect midfield performance. Goal, assists, tackles, great range of passing, late runs into the box, timing was perfect in almost perfect, getting stuck in, he really was superb. How to endear yourself to the Geordie public with a performance like his.
“The timing of his run (for the goal) is perfection. He spots the space.
“He played his part in almost everything. He helped set up the Isak goal with a quality ball in (for Botman) and his range of passing.
“When you compare some of the prices that have been paid for midfielders and are about to be paid (£110m for Moises Caicedo) – I know it’s early days for him, but (£55m) might just be a bargain. He did his bit defensively as well.
“For him, to be doing that so early in his Newcastle career. What a magnificent start.“
