Newcastle United’s Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali is cleared to play once more starting on August 28 following a ten-month betting ban. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Newcastle United will welcome back midfielder Sandro Tonali when he becomes eligible to play competitive games for the team once more from August 28 after serving a ten-month betting ban.

His first appearance could either be against Nottingham Forest in the second round of the Carabao Cup or Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League (EPL). Newcastle issued a statement confirming that the Italian authorities, who issued the ban, has approved the 24-year-old’s return to play later this month.

still trained with the club and took a voluntary pay cut

Tonali only appeared a dozen times for Newcastle after signing from AC Milan for £55m ($70.5m) before the suspension for betting on soccer games took effect. He still trained with the club and took a voluntary pay cut from his £120,000 ($153,911) weekly salary as he felt guilty for taking the money when he couldn’t play.

The English Football Association (FA) also gave him a two-month suspended sentence for placing soccer bets after he started playing for the EPL side. If he commits no more offenses before the end of the 2024-2025 season, he will not have to serve this ban.

Newcastle United will welcome the Italian international’s return as the club attempts to improve on its sixth-place finish last year. Sportsbooks currently have the northern team as the seventh favorite to win the EPL.