Barnes interview: 'It was a turbulent start - but I'm in the best place now' (2024)

Harvey Barnes did not foresee such a bumpy start to his Newcastle United career. Eddie Howe did not envisage the past 12 months playing out as they have done for the winger, either.

The fallout from Sandro Tonali’s 10-month suspension for gambling offences understandably dominated the narrative but Barnes’ injury-affected first campaign on Tyneside was also damaging for Newcastle — and challenging for the player himself.

“It was such a tough period. When you come to a new club, you’re always desperate to make a good impression,” Barnes says. “It wasn’t the start I was hoping for. I was always playing catch up and that’s not the position you want to be in.

“There were glimpses of what I could do when I came back last season, but definitely (fans are yet to see the best of me). Having had a full pre-season, it’s put me in the best place now.”

If Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall were acquired partly with the future in mind last summer, Tonali and Barnes were expected to deliver immediately. They were the ready-made signings who could make the difference in the Premier League and Champions League.

To finance the £38million ($48.9m at present exchange rates) purchase of Barnes from Leicester City, Howe sanctioned the sale of Allan Saint-Maximin to Al Ahli. The Frenchman was a flair player who excited supporters, but his inconsistency and unpredictability were not entirely suited to Howe’s structured game plan.

Barnes may not offer Saint-Maximin’s panache and creativity, but he is less erratic and, crucially, guarantees goals — creating and scoring them. During his final two full Premier League campaigns at Leicester, Barnes assisted 11 goals and scored 19 himself. In those same two seasons, Saint-Maximin registered 10 assists and only six goals.

Barnes made an immediate impact when he was introduced as a 68th-minute substitute during the first match of last season, scoring and assisting to round off an impressive 5-1 victory over Aston Villa.

That momentum was checked 12 minutes into his second league start against Sheffield United on September 24 when Barnes pushed off to sprint and tore ligaments underneath his toe.

“Initially, I was going to be out for 12 weeks,” says Barnes. “When it got to that point, some specialists were saying, ‘You need an operation’, some were saying, ‘You don’t’. When you’re getting mixed opinions, it’s tough. You want to know there is only one solution. It was a rare injury.”

The problem was so unusual that Barnes and Newcastle’s medical team researched other sports, trying to discover the best rehabilitation techniques.

“In the end, there was no operation,” Barnes says. “It became about building myself up for longer and giving the injury more time. It’s frustrating not knowing how long you’re going to be out for.

“The season was stop-start. The injury stalled everything and, when you’ve been out for any length of time, you have games where you feel great and others where you don’t.

“When I came in last year, it was midway through pre-season. I’d not done a lot of training or running at Leicester because the move was on the horizon. I was kept aside there, so my fitness levels weren’t where they would have been if I’d been here from the beginning. I was playing catch-up, you feel you’re never fully fit. Before you know it, the season is gone and you’ve missed half of it.”

A week before his injury, Barnes’ girlfriend, Naomi Dann, gave birth to their daughter, Harper.

While he was grateful for the extra time he could spend at home with his first child, Barnes’ life felt in flux, on and off the field.

“It was a tough period, everything happening at the same time,” says Barnes. “With the injury, being a new dad, all these different things going on — you have up-and-down days. Some days you feel great and your motivation is high, then you have others when it’s tough.

“As much as (becoming a father) was challenging, it probably helped a lot as well. Otherwise, with longer-term injuries, you almost can’t switch off at home. You’re focused on the injury — but I had to concentrate on our daughter.

“In some ways, that was really helpful and nice, but in other ways it was challenging. And moving home, it’s certainly opened my eyes to the challenges players face, especially those coming over from abroad. A lot goes on behind the scenes that can affect players’ performances, but we are judged on results and performances.

“It was a real turbulent start.”

Howe’s empathy was crucial for Barnes. The head coach was “really understanding” and reiterated that “he’ll always be there” during conversations with the winger about becoming a new father.

“I feel a lot more settled now,” Barnes says. “My daughter is a year older, we’re settled in our house.”

Despite the upheaval Barnes experienced, there were still clear indications of his talent and how he could fit in at Newcastle.

His 23-minute cameo against West Ham United in March — he was introduced with Newcastle 3-1 down and scored the equaliser and 9oth-minute winner — already feels like an iconic performance. The way he cut inside Kalvin Phillips and curled a deliciously placed shot into the corner to complete the turnaround underlined Barnes’ final-third pedigree.

“Coming into games late on isn’t something I’m particularly used to as I’ve not spent too much time on the bench,” Barnes says. “In those moments, it’s about getting into the mindset of: ‘How can you affect the game?’. We were struggling and I was just thinking: ‘How can you get the team to win?’.

“To get that goal was great because scoring goals is the best feeling. It was the sort of moment when you feel like you’ve finally arrived. You’ve shown hints of what is to come from you. Confidence-wise, that was a big one.”

Across the 2023-24 season, Barnes managed only seven starts in all competitions, with a further 16 substitute appearances. He scored five goals and provided three assists in the Premier League, despite playing just 802 minutes — representing a goal contribution every 100 minutes.

When he plays consistently, Barnes will create chances for himself and his team-mates. And he is particularly looking forward to regularly lining up alongside Alexander Isak.

“We’ve built that connection already, we understand each other,” Barnes says of the Sweden international. “Sometimes it’s almost easy because you give him the ball and he just does his bit of magic. You feel like you’ve done your job — and you haven’t done much! That’s rare to come across. He’s a very talented player, the sort you want to be playing with.”

Barnes must first force his way into the starting XI, which will not be straightforward.

Anthony Gordon scored 11 goals and provided 10 assists in the Premier League last season and he, like Barnes, prefers to play on the left wing.

The pair did start together towards the end of last season, with Gordon switching over to the right, and they formed a devastating front three with Isak. But Howe is hoping to recruit a right-winger this summer, meaning Barnes and Gordon may be competing for a solitary starting spot on the left.

“It drives me on,” Barnes says of watching Gordon excel in his position. “Ant came in and did really well, then it’s tough to get back in. That is how football goes.

“We both prefer the left but we can play in different positions and be fluid within the formation we play. There’ll be a lot of games this year in which you see players moving and playing in different positions. That can all work naturally.”

It is almost four years since Barnes ran out for England against Wales at Wembley as a 76th-minute substitute, his only senior cap. He is confident further national-team opportunities will arise if he impresses for Newcastle, especially given England are searching for a new manager.

“That is the ambition,” Barnes says. “I’ve had a taste of it, a good few years ago now. It’s been too long. It’d be nice to get playing and starting games here, helping the team as much as I can. Then, when you’re doing that at a massive club like this, it’s fresh and you can get back into those conversations.”

Intriguingly, should England’s new manager continue to overlook Barnes, he does have an alternative route back into international football. Barnes qualifies for Scotland through his grandparents and, given he has only represented England in one friendly, he could still switch nations.

There have been tentative enquiries from the Scotland camp but Barnes insists he has not really considered that international avenue.

He says: “There’s been one or two conversations, but there’s not been too much detail. It’s not been a serious conversation, so it’s not something I’ve thought too much on. Having been out of the picture for England for a while, the focus is to get back, first of all playing for Newcastle, and then see what happens.”

A year later than everyone intended, Barnes is finally ready to deliver for Newcastle.

(Top photo: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)

Chris Waugh is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering North East football and most particularly Newcastle United. Before joining The Athletic he worked for MailOnline, and then reported on NUFC for The Chronicle, The Journal and The Sunday Sun. He has covered NUFC home and away since 2015. Follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisDHWaugh