Newcastle United £58m pair might miss Tottenham Hotspur clash because of Premier League rule

As per Premier League rules, any player cautioned five times in their team’s opening 19 league games must serve a one-match suspension. Both Tonali and Schar have been booked four times this campaign.

The Magpies travel to Manchester United on Monday night before the disciplinary threshold increases to 10 yellow cards in 32 matches. If either player is booked at Old Trafford, they will be forced to miss the visit to Tottenham Hotspur on January 4.

Schar has avoided a caution in his last eight games, while Tonali has gone four matches without a booking. Losing either player would be a major blow for Eddie Howe’s side as they look to cement their place in the race for European qualification.

Newcastle have lost both Joelinton and Dan Burn to the five yellow card rule this season.

Meanwhile, because Bruno Guimaraes and Lewis Hall avoided a booking in the 3-0 win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day, they can no longer reach the threshold.

Joe Willock, Sean Longstaff, Jacob Murphy, Lloyd Kelly and Nick Pope have been booked twice so far, while Kieran Trippier picked up his first caution of the campaign last time out.

Any player who accumulates 10 yellow cards in their club’s opening 32 matches is handed a two-match suspension. Reaching 15 bookings results in a three-match ban but no player has ever been cautioned that amount of times during a single Premier League season.