Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe insists the club was not surprised after Sandro Tonali's new betting charges.

It's suggested the midfielder's season-long ban is now set to extend into next term.

Howe said: "We don't know is the honest answer - I certainly hope for Sandro that there is no further consequences. He has suffered during this period.

"He has seeked [out] help. He has been very honest with us. He has admitted he has an issue. The best thing for Sandro would be for him to resume his career having taken his punishment and learnt a lot of lessons from this."

On whether the news of Tonali facing more charges was a shock, he said: "It might have been a surprise externally, but not for us. He is seeking help on a regular basis. This is something that will not be going away. He has regular meetings both here and an Italy to deal with it.

"He has trained really well, and his English has improved. He has the support of his team-mates. I am positive about his comeback whenever that is."

He added: "The news that there was an FA charge, that illness didn't stop when he moved to England. That illness was there and people should look at it that way - not let's throw the book at him and punish him even further because I don't think that gets to the root of the problem.

"We need to protect all our players. This is something that's open to everybody and becoming a bigger problem in society. This isn't just a problem for Sandro."