Eddie Howe has plenty of selection dilemmas ahead of Newcastle United’s Premier League clash with Brentford at St James’ Park.
The Magpies desperately need a win after a disappointing start to the season, while Howe will also have one eye on Tuesday night’s trip to AC Milan for the Champions League opener.
But Newcastle‘s priority has to be getting a result against Brentford, and that is why Howe must turn to one of his summer signings this weekend.
Harvey Barnes is yet to start for Newcastle
Harvey Barnes joined Newcastle United from Leicester City during the summer transfer window, costing £39million.
The 25-year-old has enjoyed a decent start, getting himself a goal and an assist on his debut during the 5-1 win against Aston Villa.
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He has been described as a manager’s ‘dream‘ by former Toon boss Graeme Souness, but is yet to start a competitive game for his new club. Barnes has been forced to watch on from the bench, with Anthony Gordon and Miguel Almiron starting all four of Newcastle’s games so far this season.
However, that should change on Saturday evening.
It is time to unleash the summer signing
Howe will have had a lot of time to reflect during the international break, while he has also had the opportunity to work with a lot of his players.
One of those has been Barnes, as he was not selected by England. In fact, he is actually considering switching allegiance and representing Scotland.
But with Barnes on Tyneside during the international break, he will have been able to gain a better understanding of what Howe wants from his players. He will have been able to work closely with the manager due to the limited numbers at the training ground, and that should hopefully result in him getting a maiden start in black and white.
Miguel Almiron has been struggling with fatigue whilst away with Paraguay, so it is unclear how fresh he will be for the game against Brentford. Therefore, Howe should lean on his squad and turn to Barnes for the first time.
With Barnes starting on the left and Gordon switching over to the right, Newcastle should have the tools to cause the Bees real problems at St James’ Park. Gordon is in brilliant form so far this season, while Barnes will be extremely eager to prove that he should be a regular starter.
Howe will have visions of Barnes being part of his Newcastle starting XI, and now is the time to unleash the speedster.