Newcastle United winger Harvey Barnes has been ruled out until 2024 with a foot injury, manager Eddie Howe has confirmed.
Barnes, who joined the Magpies from Leicester City in a £38m deal in the summer, suffered the injury in the club’s 8-0 win over Sheffield United on Sunday and has since undergone scans.
Howe said that Barnes will be out for “around three months”, which means he will miss the rest of 2023.
“He’s going to be out for around three months,” Howe said. “No surgery required which is good news but his foot is now in a boot. It’s an injury underneath his toe.”
Barnes’s injury is a major blow to Newcastle, who are already without a number of key players, including Joelinton, Joe Willock, and Callum Wilson.
The Magpies have made a promising start to the season, winning three of their opening six Premier League games. However, Barnes’s absence will be a major test of their depth.
Howe will need to find a way to replace Barnes’s creativity and attacking threat, with Miguel Almirón and Allan Saint-Maximin the likely candidates to step up.
Barnes’s injury is also a setback for his own personal development. The 25-year-old was hoping to make a big impact at Newcastle after his move from Leicester, but he will now have to wait until the new year to get back on the pitch.
Newcastle fans will be hoping that Barnes can make a full recovery and return to action in early 2024. However, in the meantime, they will need to rely on their other attacking players to step up and help the team maintain their momentum.