Howe gives crushing Barnes injury update as Newcastle problems grow
Harvey Barnes is out for months - leaving Eddie Howe without £100m of left sided midfield talent at Newcastle.
The summer signing has a “significant” foot injury after pulling up against Sheffield United on Sunday. Boss Howe has vowed to support his left winger, who has only made two starts since joining from Leicester for £38m in the summer, during a lengthy recovery period.
Newcastle already have enforcer Joelinton and Joe Willock out injured. The Brazilian is due to return before the international break, with Willock out for longer.
But Barnes injury is a big blow to the Toon who have a packed fixture programme including five games of their next six at St James’ Park including Champions League games against PSG and Dortmund.
Howe said: “It's an injury to a part of the foot just below the toe, I think it's quite a substantial injury. We've had it scanned, we're waiting now for a specialist's opinion on what to do next, whether there's surgery involved or not.
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“I don't want to put a time on it until we get confirmation from the specialist, but I think it will be months rather than weeks,” the Newcastle boss added. “I don't think it was a tackle, it was just pushing off to run, a very unusual injury. I won't go too technical because I'm not medically qualified to do so, but yes, very unusual.
“He was down after the game because he knew it wasn’t a normal injury, where you feel a muscle and think that might be one or two weeks. This was a slightly more complex issue and I think he probably feared the worst, because there was no one around him and it was one of those mechanisms where he knew it wasn’t quite right.
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“There’s no doubt he’ll be disappointed because he was very keen to show his value and worth, and Sunday was an opportunity to do that. But whatever the injury is, we’ll support him and we know he’s a top quality player and he still has a massive part to play.”
Barnes, 25, enjoyed an electric start to life at St James' Park. He scored and provided an assist on his debut in the 5-1 win over Aston Villa on the opening day but has not contributed to a goal since.
The wideman lasted just 12 minutes of the weekend’s 8-0 thumping of Sheffield United. His loss did not appear to hamper Newcastle as eight different players managed to get on the scoresheet - a Premier League record.
Anthony Gordon shone after being introduced in Barnes’ place and Howe has been full of praise for the ex-Everton man. He said: “He’s had an outstanding start to the season.
“What’s pleased me most is his fitness levels and athleticism is really coming to the fore. He’s adding goals and assists which is great to see.”
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