Newcastle United fans will be thrilled to hear Eddie Howe give a positive update on Harvey Barnes’ recovery.
The winger injured his foot in the first 10 minutes of Newcastle’s Premier League clash against Sheffield United back in September.
There were some rumours that the summer signing would be out until the new year, but speaking at his press conference, Howe has revealed that he is back running and is not too far away from a return.
It’s the first bit of good news regarding injuries that the 45-year-old head coach has received after what felt like a stretch of about 10 games where the team was picking up a new problem every time.
Howe claims Barnes could return to Newcastle after international break
Howe and Newcastle fans have not yet seen what Barnes could really bring to this team with the former Leicester man only starting twice before picking up his injury.
It looked to be a similar issue to that of Kieran Trippier who injured his foot against Aston Villa at the back end of the 2021/22 season. Howe is hopeful, however, that the £39m signing can make a speedy recovery.
Speaking ahead of the Bournemouth game, the Newcastle boss said: “He’s just started running. Fingers crossed he’s on the right path. He’s one that wouldn’t be too far away after the international break.”
It’s been a tough time for Newcastle and Howe who has been without 12 players due to injuries and suspensions in the last week, but things are finally starting to take a positive turn.
Barnes’ return may coincide with the return of some other key members like Alexander Isak, though they are unlikely to be rushed back into the side.
Newcastle will finally have options up top
Despite adding to what was already a fairly decently sized group of attackers in the summer, Howe has had to manage a very thin squad in the last few days.
Anthony Gordon has had to play as a striker against both Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal while Joelinton was pushed back out on the left to cover for the injuries of Barnes, Isak, Jacob Murphy and Elliot Anderson.
Howe has managed to guide Newcastle into some very impressive results even with so many injuries, but the return of Barnes will be a huge boost to everyone at the club both physically and mentally.
The team can really use the 25-year-old’s pace in transition and would no longer depend so heavily on Anthony Gordon whose work ethic has been incredible during this difficult period.
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