Newcastle boss Eddie Howe says that Sandro Tonali is beginning to perform at his best.

Tonali, who spent the majority of his first year at the club suspended for breaching betting rules, starred in his side's 4-0 victory over Leicester on Saturday.

Howe believes the Italian midfielder brought something different to the no 6 position.

"I’m excited by how the midfield three is looking," he said.

"We are starting to see the best of Sandro Tonali. I think he was good today. He plays the No 6 position very different to Bruno [Guimaraes].

"But equally as effectively you’ve got two different ways of playing the position but both are very efficient and very good in different ways.

"I thought his athletic performance was very good and he’s just very intelligent with the ball, making good decisions."