Eddie Howe breaks silence on Sandro Tonali’s trip to Wetherspoons and reveals which Newcastle star copped the blame
EDDIE HOWE has revealed that Matt Ritchie has got the blame for sending Sandro Tonali to Wetherspoons.
The Newcastle manager broke his silence on the Italian's pub trip during his press conference ahead of the game against Manchester City on Saturday evening.
Tonali, 23, found himself at The Job Bulman pub in Newcastle following the club's Premier League opening win over Aston Villa.
The midfielder's name was spotted by a fan on a reserved sign before he was then pictured with a supporter at the venue.
The strange choice of venue for the former AC Milan star had fans convinced his team-mates had pulled a prank on him.
This then led fans to speculate who the mischievous team member was, with club star Bruno Guimaraes being asked who it was, although he did not crack under pressure.
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The intrigue has now led to manager Howe to be asked about the prank, to which he insisted there was no problem with his newest star being in the pub.
However, he revealed that Scottish midfielder Ritchie is being blamed for the joke.
He said: "He was in there for something to eat, I think. A very innocent situation.
"He's settled in really well and built friendships.
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"I'm not sure how Matt Ritchie has got the blame — poor Matty!
"I'm not sure he booked it for him."
Tonali arrived from the Rossoneri this summer for a fee of £60million , making the 23-year-old the most expensive Italian player in history.
The move already prompted some bitter AC Milan fans to say the Italian international has downgraded by swapping Italy for England.
However, he seems to be settling in as he was hailed as a "man of the people" as he followed up his Wetherspoons trip with a visit to a local ice cream shop Scoopalicious.