Sandro Tonali has admitted that he found it difficult to settle at Newcastle to begin with after he decided to leave AC Milan and head to the north of England in the summer.
After Paolo Maldini was sacked at the end of last season, the first act of the new management duo – CEO Giorgio Furlani and chief scout Geoffrey Moncada – was to sell Tonali in a club-record deal to the Premier League side.
It was a painful exit for both parties
given Tonali’s love for the club and the fact that he had become a fan favourite, but ultimately the proceeds were used to bolster the squad and 10 new signings arrived over the summer.
Fate is such that Tonali didn’t have to wait long to return to Milan as the Champions League draw pitted his boyhood club against his new team. He spoke at San Siro in his pre-match press conference, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
How was your trip?
“These are strong emotions, but tomorrow will be the match. What I feel today will not be what I feel tomorrow.”
How was the move to England?
“It was difficult for me, it was difficult for me to settle in Newcastle. But there are people who helped me, I found the way down and life there was made easier.
“Even on the pitch everything changes, because you don’t feel that feeling like when you know all the companions and the language, but I have had from everywhere and from every person”.
What emotions do you feel?
“These are difficult emotions, because this is the team I support and the team that gave me the opportunity to grow. But tomorrow will be something else and I won’t have problems managing myself.
“It will be difficult, seeing the stadium full… it will be the strongest emotion. Because the stadium helps you. But there will be many: the coach, the former teammates. It will be a full day.
“It will be an intense match, because that’s what we want to bring and what Milan brings. It will be a great match, difficult for both teams, but hard-fought.”
You know what it means to have or not have Ibrahimovic… How much could he have given?
“I had Zlatan as a teammate and he brings positivity, he knows how to help you, especially with young people. I don’t think it was something prepared, because Ibra does what he wants and does it in the right way and with respect for everyone.”
