Managers need to be mindful players are human beings, says Eddie Howe

Magpies midfielder Sandro Tonali became a father for the first time when his wife Juliette gave birth to their son Leonardo, hours after the Italy international had played the first half of Wednesday night’s chaotic 4-3 Premier League victory over Leeds at St James’ Park.

Tonali struggled in the match, but instead of criticising the Italian, Howe urged fans and fellow managers to remember players have lives outside of football.

He said: “The players are, of course, human beings and they have loads going on in their private lives continually – as we all do – and the balance between work and private life and making sure your work is not affected by your private life is an ongoing battle for everybody.

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“The lads are really professional, they know the importance of what they deliver on a weekend or whenever they’re playing, for themselves, for their families, for their careers.

“But occasionally – especially from my perspective, not so much from your perspective – I have to understand what’s going on in their lives and when maybe things are going on off the pitch that affect them and I can support them and help them, and as a football club we can support and help them in every moment of their lives.

“It’s not just babies and other things, there’s so much going on in daily life that can have an effect positively and negatively.”

Tonali, 25, is available for Saturday’s FA Cup third-round clash with Bournemouth on Tyneside, although whether he is named in the starting line-up – amid a seemingly relentless run of fixtures – remains to be seen.

Howe, who said he would support a player who asked for paternity leave, added: “It’s a wonderful moment in your life when you have a child – as I know – and for Sandro it’s a really exciting time.

“You can use that excitement for a real positive and to help your performance because you see life in a totally different way once you become a father.

“I’m delighted for him personally and I’d like to send congratulations to him and to his family. We hope it’s the start of another exciting chapter for him in his life.”

Howe, who revealed defender Fabian Schar suffered ankle ligament damage against Leeds, but no fracture, will welcome his former club to Tyneside, looking for an extended run in a competition which has largely not reaped rewards since he took up the Newcastle reins, but one which still excites him.

Asked if the third-round ties had increasingly become “squeezed” into a packed programme, he said: “If you go back to when I was playing, the third round of the FA Cup was a stand-out moment.

“Now when you’re managing at this level, there are so many other games and competitions that it’s lost its stand-alone feel, but I still feel the FA Cup is a magical competition.”