Probably the only negative aspect of Newcastle's 8-0 hammering of Sheffield United was the foot injury Harvey Barnes picked up for the free-scoring visitors.

Barnes was forced off after just 12 minutes against the Blades and boss Eddie Howe has since described the injury as "substantial" and says it is likely the winger will be sidelined for "months rather than weeks".

The 25-year-old has already had a scan on what Howe also called a "very unusual injury" and now a specialist is set to decide whether or not he requires an operation.

Surgery could be needed

If it is deemed that the next course of action is to go under the knife then he could be out for even longer with Howe losing one of his key attacking threats as the busy winter period approaches.

It's a frustrating setback for the former Leicester man who would have been hoping to help the Magpies compete on all fronts this season as they balance a Champions League campaign with trying to once again compete for a top-four place in the Premier League alongside the domestic cups.

After joining from the Foxes for what looked like a bargain £38m in the summer, Barnes had to settle for a place on the bench on the opening weekend but he quickly made an impact when coming on in the 5-1 win over Aston Villa, setting up Callum Wilson for Newcastle's fourth goal and then scoring the fifth himself as the home side started the campaign with a bang.

Bit-part player for Newcastle so far

He came on as a sub in the next three games as Howe's side suffered a run of defeats to Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton but got his chance from the start in the following match against Brentford, helping Newcastle to a much-needed 1-0 win.

Barnes was back among the subs, coming on for a few minutes in injury time, for the European opener at the San Siro as the visitors picked up a creditable 0-0 draw against AC Milan. 

That result will have given them confidence they can progress out of a difficult Group F which also contains Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain with Newcastle on offer at 3/1 to win the group and 8/11 to qualify.

Then, after being named in the starting line-up for the trip to Bramall Lane that came next, Barnes would have been hoping his somewhat subdued start to his Magpies career was about to be given lift-off.

However, the injury came at the worst possible moment and the fact that his replacement on Sunday - Anthony Gordon - caught the eye with a goal and an assist in the rout will only have served to remind the winger what might have been for him had he been able to stay on the pitch against the struggling newly-promoted side.

Despite being used fairly sparingly by Howe in the first couple of months of the season, it was evident Barnes was being earmarked to play a key role as the campaign progressed but the fact he could be facing a lengthy spell out means he will almost have to restart his Newcastle career when he does eventually return to action.

Barnes shone for Foxes in final third

His goals involvement stats for Leicester show how important a player he can be in the Premier League. 

In the 2019-20 season, he scored six goals and got eight assists for his former club, before managing nine goals and four assists the next year. 

He then hit six goals and got 10 assists in 2021-22 and, last season, scored a career-high 13 goals in the top flight as he shone in a Foxes side that suffered relegation.

Barnes' injury means he's added to the list of players unavailable to Howe, which includes Joelinton and Emil Krafth, although the Magpies boss does have alternatives to Barnes, with Gordon being selected regularly down the left so far. 

Matt Targett could be pushed further forward and Joe Willock could also feature out wide if necessary, although he is still out with an Achilles injury at present.

Newcastle will hope to have Barnes back before the busy festive period when they will want to be higher than their current position of eighth in the table as they chase another top-four Premier League finish this season, for which they are a 7/4 chance, while they are available at 4/6 to secure a place in the top five.

bet365 News Team

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