Sandro Tonali's arrival at Newcastle United has already coincided with a big suggestion that the Serie A star will be the man that finally sits in front of the Toon defence and frees up Bruno Guimaraes.
There can be no doubt that the number 6 role is Tonali's speciality but that's not the only position where the 23-year-old can flourish. In total Tonali has played in a defensive midfield position 194 times with the star able to pick possession just in front of the centre-backs and start building attacks.
Throw in his danger from set-pieces and his ability to create, with 22 assists to his name when playing as a 6, Tonali is the type of player Newcastle fans can get excited about as a vital cog in Eddie Howe's team. Tonali has not just operated as a defensive midfielder throughout his career though.
Tonali played 65 times for Milan further up the field in a more central role getting goals from that position and creating many more for his team-mates. He is pretty much the all-round midfield package.
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Looking at last season for Tonali with Milan he was used as a defensive midfielder in the Champions League as the Serie A side marched to the semi-finals of the competition. But in Serie A, Stefano Pioli used him 10 times further up the pitch as a more influential force further up.
In one sparkling display, he weighed in with a goal in an impressive 5-1 win over Sampdoria at the San Siro in Serie A. Tonali has also been known to play on the right of midfield where he was used coming through the ranks at Brescia with their Under-17 side.
But between 2017 and 2019, which culminated in promotion from Serie B with Brescia, Tonali very much cut his teeth as a defensive midfielder. It was in the 2019/20 season that he started to be used as a more attacking midfielder with Brescia before he moved to Milan.
At Newcastle, the presumption is that Howe will use him as a number 6 finally allowing Bruno to push forward. When Bruno first arrived in 2022 from Lyon, it was also anticipated that Howe would use him as a defensive midfielder.
But even Howe has been taken aback by the possibilities the Brazil international has brought to the table. And there is also a chance that Bruno and Tonali could both be assigned a more defensive role depending on who United pluck out of the Champions League draw.
Howe said in 2022: "Bruno can play in any position in midfield, as an 8, a 6 or a double 6. That is the beauty of him and why we love him so much."
Newcastle's midfield combinations will also involve Joe Willock, Sean Longstaff, Joelinton while Elliot Anderson also comes into the conversation ahead of a long season. Tonali's arrival at Newcastle will certainly enhance those midfield options and potentially bring a new dimension to the Toon engine room.
