Harvey Barnes suffered what looked like a concerning knee injury in Leicester’s Premier League defeat to Arsenal on Sunday that throws into question his availability for upcoming England matches as well as this summer’s European Championships.
Barnes went down after overstretching his knee to collect a pass from Youri Tielemans as Leicester started the second half 2-1 down to the Gunners.
The playmaker, who has been a central figure of Leicester’s top-four push and Europa League campaign this season, came off on a stretcher with his knee in a brace.
He was replaced by Cengiz Under and moments later Arsenal scored a third at the King Power Stadium.
Losing Barnes to what could be a serious knee injury will be a major blow to Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers – particularly as James Maddison, another energetic creative presence in the Leicester forward line, is also currently injured.
Rodgers has based much of Leicester’s attacking success on the duo playing behind and supporting main striker Jamie Vardy, who at 34 is perhaps showing signs of age during this most gruelling of congested seasons, with one goal to his name since Christmas.
The boss opted to start Vardy alongside Kelechi Iheanacho on Sunday in a tweak to his usual four-pronged attacked – the change having come about following Thursday’s miserable display that saw Leicester knocked out of the Europa League.
Leicester injury list:
- James Justin – Knee. Return date unknown
- Wesley Fofana – Thigh. Expected back mid-March
- Dennis Praet – Thigh. Expected back mid-March
- James Maddison – Hip. Return date unknown
- Ayoze Perez – Knee. Expected back mid-March
- Wes Morgan – Back. Return date unknown
- Harvey Barnes – Knee. Subbed off against Arsenal
- Jonny Evans – Unknown. Subbed off against Arsenal
Losing Maddison, who is not expected to have surgery on a hip injury but will instead take his time recovering, is one thing for Rodgers. But the prospect of having 23-year-old Barnes – a player who boasts seven goals since Boxing Day – sidelined is a major headache.
After all, the pair aren’t the only absentees the manager is dealing with. Ayoze Perez, Wesley Fofana, Wes Morgan and Dennis Praet aren’t expected to return to full fitness until mid-March. James Justin is a longer-term absentee. And Jonny Evans lasted 69 minutes on Sunday before he was also taken off.
Plenty of Premier League teams have battled through injury crises this season, brought on by the congested fixture lists that coronavirus enforced on the national game. Liverpool have barely had the opportunity to field their all strength title-winning squad this season, while Crystal Palace have had half a first team out at some point or another for much of the campaign. Three of Leeds’ four major summer signings have spent months combined in the physio room and Sheffield United’s already threadbare squad has struggled with the rigours of back-to-back Premier League campaigns.
There will be little sympathy for Leicester from other clubs in the top flight, yet the feeling among Foxes supporters should well be one of concern. Losing Barnes piles extra pressure on Vardy, Iheanacho, Under and Marc Albrighton to deliver the goals heading into the business end of the season. Leicester don’t have the sapping distraction of the Europa League anymore, but the battle for a top-four finish is wide open.
West Ham are in good form, Chelsea are resurgent under Thomas Tuchel, Liverpool cannot be written off despite their recent slump, and the likes of Everton and Aston Villa will be eyeing those Champions League spots with more than just wishful thinking.
Leicester’s upcoming fixtures could make or break their season: Burnley and Brighton away, Sheffield United at home. Rodgers needs maximum points from these encounters more than ever, to create a cushion soft enough to then tackle Manchester City and West Ham in April. Their final three fixtures are against Manchester United, Chelsea and Spurs – a horrendous run-in for any team but made worse when it comes at the end of a season that followed on almost immediately from the last, included eight effectively meaningless European ties and ravaged the squad in the process.
As for Barnes, the one-cap England international was surely hoping to stake a claim for his country’s Euro 2020 squad this summer. Gareth Southgate is monitoring a hoard of young talent every weekend, sat from his lonely position in the stands of various Premier League grounds. The group stage starts with a clash against Croatia on 13 June – a date that may, sadly, prove too soon for Barnes.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/37SKm3q
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