The Newcastle star is in the midst of a 10-month ban from football after admitting gambling offences in Italy and is now facing further punishment from English football's governing body, although Howe thinks that the player's issue needs to be tackled with a sympathetic eye.

The coach said: "The news that there was an FA charge, that illness didn't stop when he moved from Italy to England, that illness was there and people should look at it that way, not 'Let's throw the book at him and let's punish him even further' because I don't think that gets to the root of the problem.

"We need to protect all our players because this is something that's open to everybody and becoming a bigger problem in society, so this isn't just a problem for Sandro."

Howe revealed that the player is "seeking help" for the gambling problem in both England and Italy after it cost him the chance to play for much of this season and for his country at Euro 2024.

The Newcastle boss said: "He is seeking help on a regular basis.

"This is something that will not be going away. He has regular meetings both here and in Italy to deal with it."