Sandro Tonali said this week that he felt lost after leaving AC Milan for Newcastle. He is yet to find himself.
There have been flashes — and a brilliant debut fuelled by adrenalin — but, for now, the search intensifies for the player that Eddie Howe was convinced is the midfield upgrade his team needs.
Tonali will be given time to adapt to the Premier League, of course, but the Champions League at the San Siro should have been his stage. He has shone in these conditions before, leading his boyhood club to the semi-finals last season.