SANDRO TONALI was NOT pranked into going to Wetherspoons by his Newcastle team-mates.
Toon’s £55million Italian midfielder stunned drinkers at the budget boozer in Gosforth by ordering some pub grub last week.
Fans reckoned Tonali, 23, must have been sent there as a joke but defender Dan Burn insisted: “People think we stitched him up but I genuinely think he just booked it.
“He must have typed in ‘restaurants in Gosforth’ and Wetherspoons has popped up. With him not knowing any different he’s booked it.
“The next day we were like, ‘Wetherspoons? What are you doing there?’ But he said he enjoyed it!”
Tonali found himself at The Job Bulman pub in Newcastle following the club’s Premier League opening win over Aston Villa.
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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.
The intrigue 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.
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However, he revealed that Scottish midfielder Matt 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.
“I’m not sure how Matt Ritchie has got the blame — poor Matty!
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“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.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
