SANDRO TONALI has admitted he was living a ‘double life’ prior to being banned for betting regulations.

Tonali received a ten-month ban after admitting to betting on football matches, and having returned to action at the end of last month, the Italian admits he was doing everything possible to hide his gambling addiction prior to being caught.

Speaking in an interview with Sky Sports, the Italy international said: “Before the mistake, I had two lives, because I was very closed to myself and I never spoke with people, also in the training ground, also with the staff.

“Now, it’s totally different. Every day is different, especially with the staff and my team-mates, because it's normal to speak every day, it's normal to have a relationship.

“When I come to the training ground, I am the same person now - with the gaffer, with the staff, with my team-mates. Before these ten months, before the last year, it (was) a little bit different because I was another person.

“I was two different people in my life and in football. And now I am only one person, only one. When I speak with the gaffer, I am Sandro. When I play, I am Sandro. When I come back to Italy, I am Sandro. I have understood this in the last year and these ten months.”

Tonali has been working with the PFA to address his gambling issues and attended treatment sessions for problem gamblers during his enforced absence.

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He spent the summer counting down the days until his return to playing, and is delighted to be back on the pitch repaying his team-mates who helped support him and the fans who continued to back him when he was on the sidelines.

He said: “I missed the last ten months. I missed football, I missed the stadium, all the emotions on the pitch. But now I've come back, and I've come back, I think, really well.

“The feeling (to be back) was very, very good because the fans were crazy after the first game. After the second game, the same for Bruno (Guimaraes) and Joelinton because they supported me every day during the ban. With (Kieran) Trippier, and the captain Jamaal (Lascelles), these four, for me, were maybe the best players to support me.

“But every player and all the team (helped) - it's a surprise for me, because I was a new player. I was here only for two months. But every person in the city, from working in Newcastle, all the people who live here, they support me and help me.”