Harvey Barnes believes he has a brilliant ‘connection’ with one of his Newcastle United teammates ahead of his second season on Tyneside.
The 26-year-old has been a Newcastle United player for a year now, joining from Leicester City last summer for £39million. The deal made Harvey Barnes one of Newcastle’s most expensive signings ever.
He was a big investment, but has been unable to justify the fee so far. That is because of injury, with a strange foot problem ruining Barnes’ first season at St James’ Park.
The attacker missed 28 games in total, with Barnes admitting that his first Newcastle season was very up and down.
But now he is fully fit and enjoying a full pre-season under the guidance of Eddie Howe, as Barnes prepares to kick on in a black and white shirt.
Harvey Barnes hypes up Alexander Isak partnership
He is ready to make up for lost time, and has spent most of pre-season in the starting XI alongside Alexander Isak and Jacob Murphy.
They have done well together, and Barnes has admitted to the Athletic that he loves playing alongside Isak.
“We’ve built that connection already, we understand each other,” he said.
“Sometimes it’s almost easy because you give him the ball and he just does his bit of magic. You feel like you’ve done your job, and you haven’t done much. That’s rare to come across.
“He’s a very talented player, the sort you want to be playing with.”
Barnes will have to fight to play alongside Isak regularly
Barnes and Isak have combined well this summer, which is a very exciting prospect ahead of the 2024/25 season. Both players are fantastic finishers, and them creating opportunities for each other could make Newcastle very dangerous in the final third.
However, the chance to play alongside Isak regularly is not guaranteed for Barnes.
While Isak will definitely start for Newcastle, that is not the case for Barnes. While he has done well in pre-season, he will probably start the season as backup – depending on Anthony Gordon’s fitness.
The 23-year-old is due back after receiving an extended break, and will be keen to kick on even more after a sensational 2023/24 season – assuming he stays at St James’ Park.
When every player is fit, Gordon is Newcastle’s starting left winger. That will mean that Barnes is understudy, and will have to settle for making an impact off the bench.
That may limit his minutes alongside Isak, who Howe will hope to rotate with Callum Wilson and incoming signing Will Osula.
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