Harvey Barnes and Anthony Gordon – Sliding doors kind of moment | OneFootball

Harvey Barnes signed for Newcastle United exactly eight months ago today.

Despite Leicester’s relegation, Harvey Barnes still scored 13 Premier League goals from his wing position and was top scorer for the club, 13 goals from 32 PL starts mighty impressive when you consider how poor Leicester were overall.

Indeed, a player whose stats stand up to the closest scrutiny and easy to see why Eddie Howe wanted to sign him.

In the past four seasons with Leicester, Harvey Barnes has had 57 direct goal involvements in the Premier League, scoring 34 and getting 23 assists, those coming in 102 PL starts and 25 PL sub appearances.

A total of 8,864 minutes in the Premier League those past four seasons with Leicester, so the 57 direct goal involvements at a rate of one every 155 minutes, far better average than one every two full games’ worth of minutes.

I have been prompted with the Harvey Barnes stats by Anthony Gordon and his season so far, which has led to this much deserved England call up.

Anthony Gordon with 14 direct goals involvements (scored nine and five assists) in the Premier League this season for Newcastle United, 2,199 minutes played and so an average of a direct goal involvement every 157 PL minutes.

Almost exactly the same as what Harvey Barnes averaged over FOUR seasons at Leicester.

I am not saying this as some kind of negative for Anthony Gordon, quite the opposite. Instead I am wanting to remind certain Newcastle United fans that their negativity regarding Harvey Barnes is a little embarrassing.

I have only sympathy for the former Foxes star and to pick up such a painful freak foot injury so early in his Newcastle career was just so unlucky.

Despite his astonishing Premier League stats with Leicester, it is quite astonishing that Barnes has only had 14 minutes in an England shirt and that was way back in October 2020.

Indeed, very likely that Anthony Gordon will surpass that England total in these next few days, as England take on Brazil tonight and then Belgium on Tuesday.

The Gordon call up is fully deserved but I can’t help think how unlucky Harvey Barnes has been and a bit of a sliding doors kind of moment back in September for him.

Opening day of the season, Harvey Barnes came on as a sub and got both a goal and an assist as United hammered Villa 5-1, Gordon got an assist as well, when Tonoli scored only six minutes into the season.

As he often does, Eddie Howe took things slowly with Barnes, four Premier League sub appearances before in mid-September his first PL start at home to Brentford. Some clever brilliant play from Harvey Barnes saw him open up the Brentford defence and his ball across saw Anthony Gordon fouled for the penalty which won the game, Callum Wilson scoring.

The following weekend Harvey Barnes started again in the Premier League, however, that was when he picked up the serious freak foot injury. Having to be subbed early and replaced by Anthony Gordon, the rest is history, that day Newcastle going on to hammer Sheffield United 8-0.

I can’t help wonder, if Harvey Barnes hadn’t picked up that injury, how different this season may have been for him AND Newcastle United?

Would it have been him and not Anthony Gordon in this England squad? Or potentially both of them??

IMAGO/Pro Sports Images

Despite only 355 Premier League minutes this season, Harvey Barnes still has three direct goal involvements (scoring two and one assist) at an average of one every 118 minutes. Barnes coming off the bench and scoring that stunning left foot strike that rescued a point in the 4-4 against Luton.

I think my main message to Newcastle United fans is, don’t be writing Harvey Barnes off just yet.

He has had further injury niggles but not unusual when a player has been out so long. His injury record is generally very good, in those last four seasons at Leicester he was available for 133 of the 152 Premier League matches.

Injuries permitting, I think the likes of Harvey Barnes can be a massive player for Newcastle United and in a side getting on the front foot and looking to go forward, I think he can get some stunning stats with both scoring goals and assists.