- The Newcastle forward returned from injury in the draw against Luton on Saturday
- Harvey Barnes described his injury as the ‘toughest’ period of his career
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Harvey Barnes feared his debut season for Newcastle United could be over amid a four-month layoff.
The winger, signed from Leicester for £38million this summer, suffered the injury during his sixth Premier League appearance for his new club in September.
An initial return date of early December came and went after a setback and Barnes finally made his comeback during the 4-4 draw against Luton on Saturday, coming off the bench to claim a point for his side.
However, the 26-year-old admits he thought he might have played his last game until next season when his return was postponed.
“Yeah, I definitely thought that (the season could be over),” he said. ‘It is difficult when you speak to different specialists and get different opinions from the professionals. That is heavy. We decided to try without surgery. It was the right decision because it’s all good now.
Harvey Barnes feared his debut season at Newcastle was over prematurely after suffering an injury in September
Barnes was injured in a Premier League match against Sheffield United in September
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‘But it has been a difficult period for me, the toughest I have had in football. When you’re new, you just want to get started. Six games later you are injured. That’s difficult.
‘Then it takes longer than you think and there are a few setbacks. Mentally it’s so hard. Besides this injury, I have had one other injury in football. I have always been fit. So now I’m back doing what I love, I just want to help the team.”
What was it like in the treatment room?
‘It was crowded!’ Barnes said. ‘You try to keep each other up, but sometimes that’s not easy. We had ten players at one point and everyone is going through the same thing.
Barnes admitted his four-month injury layoff was the ‘toughest’ spell he has ever had in football
Barnes believes Newcastle are capable of big things this season despite their dip in form
“This season it looks like we’re getting one back and another one is out. We just have to keep as many as possible to stay fit.’
Can the team recover and regain their place in the top four?
“This team is capable of great things, as we showed last year,” he said. ‘We also showed it in sayings this year.
‘When we are at our top level, we can run great and climb up the table quickly.’