Sandro Tonali previously missed a Tyne-Wear derby for Newcastle United just days before playing for Italy.
Chris Waddle has questioned why Sandro Tonali played in all four games for Italy during the international break.
The Italian missed Tottenham Hotspur’s defeat to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup due to a knock three weeks ago. He did return just days later and played 84 minutes as Spurs lost 3-2 to Aston Villa.
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Newcastle United fans will remember Tonali hobbling off during the 7-2 nightmare against Barcelona in February. This ruled him out for a pivotal Tyne-Wear derby clash before he returned for Italy’s World Cup qualifiers the following week.
‘I was surprised’ - Chris Waddle
While possibly a mere coincidence, this fed the narrative that Tonali was not committed to the Toon cause. Former Newcastle playmaker Waddle - who also starred for Tottenham - was surprised to see the 26-year-old feature in every game for Italy.
“I was surprised to see Tonali turning out for all the Italy games,” Waddle told talkSPORT. “He was injured, then suddenly he's fit. I found that bizarre. Listen, whether they thought it was just a slight knock and missing one game would be alright, that's fine.
“But they've had a lot of players away on international duty who will be coming back in the next two or three days to get back to work. A lot of these players, not just Tottenham's, have travelled around Europe or the world for three weeks, jumping on and off aeroplanes and buses. By the time they get back to training on Thursday morning, a lot of them will be feeling tired.”
Nations League ‘an absolute farce’
Waddle - who earned 62 England caps - went as far as to call the Nations League an “absolute farce” after a string of Premier League injuries. He added: “A lot of these players coming back, especially those from South America or far away, might start training on Thursday with jet lag, and yet they're expected to deliver a top performance at the weekend. It's extremely demanding, and to be honest, these Nations League games are an absolute farce."