With Howe facing an unprecedented injury crisis, the sight of a player of Tonali’s quality training at full pelt but barred from taking part in matches is difficult to take. Which is not quite the same as saying that there is no exasperation at his and their predicament. Inside Newcastle, there is no sense of anger or irritation at Tonali from top to bottom, team-mates and colleagues acknowledge he is battling a serious affliction and have rallied around him. The Athletic explains what Tonali has been doing since his ban started, the fallout from the deal and what comes next. This serious and sad tale of gambling addiction and illness continues to have far-reaching consequences for everyone involved - for Newcastle, for Milan, for Italian football, and, most importantly, for Tonali himself.

Tonali has become accustomed to watching matches from the comfy seats over the past month or so, knowing his enforced absence has compounded the injury crisis that has engulfed coach Eddie Howe’s stretched squad. Yet, rather than be out on the pitch aiding his new team-mates in their quest to lead Newcastle to the Champions League knockout stages for the first time and confirm the elimination of his boyhood club in the process, Tonali is expected to take up a seat in the directors’ box.

After all, it was the 23-year-old’s influential role in helping Milan progress to the semi-finals of this competition last season that confirmed Newcastle’s conviction that he was the elite midfielder they needed to elevate them to European level. In the alternate reality that Newcastle envisaged when committing the majority of their summer budget to the Italy international, Tonali would have started against his former side at St James’ Park tonight in what is a potentially season-defining fixture for both clubs. If so, it will be the elephant at the table, not just in the room. There is one obvious point for discussion - but Tonali’s £55million ($69m) transfer between the clubs and his subsequent 10-month suspension from football for breaching rules on gambling may instead prove to be the unspoken topic. The established convention of hosting the visiting party is being upheld by Newcastle before a crucial final Champions League group game. This afternoon (Wednesday), for the first time since their pre-match meal at the luxurious Cracco, a restaurant in Milan’s grandiose 19th-century shopping arcade, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, on September 19, senior officials from the two clubs will gather in a high-end eatery with sweeping views over the Quayside and Tyne Bridge and dine together.

Casinos with slots near newcastle wa