Eddie Howe Updates on Sandro Tonali's Fitness for Fulham Clash
Eddie Howe is refusing to rule out Sandro Tonali for Newcastle United’s Premier League finale at Fulham, despite the midfielder’s recent hamstring scare.
Tonali limped off in the win over West Ham last week, sparking fears his season might be over. Instead, Howe struck an upbeat note as he weighed up his options for Sunday.
“Sandro, potentially, will be available,” the Newcastle head coach said. “We will look at him again today. We don’t think it is anything serious.”
It is a significant boost at the end of a campaign that has asked a lot of Howe’s squad. Tonali’s influence in possession and his ability to set the tempo have grown as the season has gone on, and Newcastle know how different they look when he is missing. The medical team will not take risks, but the door is clearly open.
Osula’s emergence and a striker with “untapped areas”
If Tonali’s fitness is the main concern, the form of Osula is the rising positive. The young forward struck twice in the 3-1 victory over relegation-threatened West Ham, a performance that underlined why Howe is so excited about his trajectory.
“He is at a really good age,” Howe said. “Lots of things to continue to work on, there are lots of untapped areas we can develop.
“The ceiling in his development is really high. He has the raw ingredients, the physical profile too.”
Those “raw ingredients” have arrived at exactly the right time. Osula’s brace helped Newcastle sign off their home campaign with a win, and it felt like more than just three points. It was a glimpse of what the next version of this team might look like.
“It was great to win our last home game. That left us all with a great feeling. We want to end the season on a real high,” Howe added.
From wobble to resurgence
Newcastle’s form has flipped in the space of a month. Their last defeat came against Premier League champions Arsenal in April, a result that threatened to drag them into a flat end to the season.
Instead, the response has been sharp. Performances have improved with the ball, the press has returned with purpose, and the mood has shifted from frustration to quiet belief.
“We hope to continue the upturn in our recent performances, upturn in our in-possession play, we want to end the season high, it is an important match for us,” Howe said.
Fulham away is no dead rubber for Newcastle. It is a chance to lock in the sense of progress, to carry momentum into the summer, and to see whether Tonali can make it back onto the pitch and Osula can back up his breakthrough.
One more game to underline which version of Newcastle will walk into next season.
