‘Superb’: Alan Shearer says one Newcastle player was ‘perfect’ v Aston Villa

Add as preferred source on Google

Newcastle romped their way past Aston Villa yesterday as they got off to the perfect start to the new season.

A 5-1 win was more than deserved for the Mags as they waltzed past a Villa side who looked shell-shocked after seeing Tyrone Mings go off with a nasty looking injury.

For Newcastle and Eddie Howe, it was the perfect start ahead of another big season.

And to the delight of Newcastle fans and the onlooking Alan Shearer, new signing Sandro Tonali looked like a seasoned Premier League player on his debut.

So much so, that Shearer said on Match of the Day that he felt Tonali’s performance was simply perfect.

“The star of the show was Tonai. As debuts go, it was as good as it gets. It was the perfect midfield performance,” Shearer said.

“Goals, assists, tackles, great range of passing. Late runs into the box. Timing was perfect. He really was superb and how to endear yourself to the Geordie public with a performance like that.

Tonali was a big-money signing for Newcastle early on in the window. Alongside Bruno Guimaraes, he could well end up forming one of the best midfield pairings in the league based on yesterday’s showing.

Tonali looks a bargain already

Lineker and Shearer touched on this but given some of the fees being banded about for others like Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, Tonali already looks a snip.

The Italian was absolutely outstanding and had a bit of everything about his game. As Shearer says, the passing, touches, and timing of his surges into the box were a joy to behold.

It’s going to be a tough season for Newcastle with Champions League football coming back. But on this evidence and with Tonali now involved, they could end up shocking a few people.