Indeed, Eddie Howe has had to deal without a number of key players for much of the campaign.
Harvey Barnes has been conspicuously absent. Signed to replace Allan Saint-Maximin last summer, the winger suffered a foot injury in an 8-0 win over Sheffield United in September and has since missed 27 games across all competitions.
Barnes has recently returned and was lauded as “incredible” by Howe for his goal against Luton last month, as Newcastle awaits his greatest performance.
Nonetheless, the 26-year-old needs time. The player himself has conceded that people did not fully comprehend the seriousness of his injuries, and some new information has emerged.
Newcastle’s Harvey Barnes has suffered an injury.
According to The Daily Mail, Barnes tore the ligaments beneath his toes.
The ailment was so odd that no one on the club’s medical team had ever seen it before, prompting them to research into other sports for further information and potential treatment options.
There were even fears that Barnes’ season would be cut short, but Newcastle gratefully averted that fate.
Harvey Barnes’ injury record: Newcastle so unlucky.
In some respects, Barnes’ plight exemplifies Newcastle’s bad luck this season.
According to Transfermarkt data, the forward had only missed a considerable amount of play once in his career, during the 20/21 season with Leicester, when a knee injury kept him out of 16 games.
Since then, his appearance record was nearly flawless until the start of his Newcastle tenure.
Fortunately, he is available for Howe once more, and maybe lightning will not strike again.
Given the severity of his injury, it comes as no surprise that he will require time to fully recover.
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