MX23RW : Friday, December 13 08:21:43| >> :120:5032:5032:

Harvey Barnes ruled out for rest of season

Harvey Barnes ruled out for rest of season
© Reuters
Harvey Barnes suffered a knee injury in the defeat to Arsenal in February.

Leicester star Harvey Barnes has been ruled out for the rest of the season – ending his slim Euro 2020 hopes.

The winger is due to have a second operation on the knee he injured in February.

Barnes – who has scored 13 times for the Premier League club this season – made his England debut in October and there was hope he could feature before the end of the campaign but fresh surgery means he will not return until the summer.

Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers said: "Harvey has had a slight setback, he is just going into have a second, only a minor, operation to clear up some of the damage in his knee.

"That will rule him out for the rest of the season. The plan is to get him through the second little operation and be back for pre-season.

"It's a shame because he has been absolutely outstanding for us and we had hoped he would be back to play some part. The most important thing is to get his knee right and get him ready for next season.

"This was an injury which at best was six weeks but could be up to 12 weeks. He is in his seventh week so it's just a minor issue around that.

"It was a case of do we deal with it now and let it settle or do we do something about it? He was keen to go down that route but he is positive about getting back."

Wes Morgan remains out with a back problem while James Justin is a long-term absentee with a knee injury.

The Foxes are third in the Premier League ahead of Friday's trip to Southampton.

Monday's 2-1 win over Crystal Palace lifted them seven points clear of fifth-placed West Ham in the race for the Champions League and three victories from their final five games will book a top-four spot.

"We are looking up, that is what is important and the games are going to be really exciting for us," Rodgers said. "Our focus is very much on looking up and playing with the identity we have created and knowing anything is possible.

"It's not the time to soften up, it (Monday's win) puts us level on points with last season but our ambition is to finish as high as we can and win a trophy (the FA Cup).

"We have a real good energy in the team, the mentality is really strong."

ID:445203: cacheID:445203:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3617:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Chelsea's Timo Werner celebrates scoring against West Ham United in the Premier League on April 24, 2021
Read Next:
Thomas Tuchel: 'Timo Werner must put his chin up'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
1.15am
Rams
@
49ers
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool14112129111835
2Chelsea1594235181731
3Arsenal1585229151429
4Manchester CityMan City158342721627
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest157441918125
6Aston Villa157442323025
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
8Bournemouth157352320324
9Brentford157263128323
10Fulham156542220223
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle155551921-220
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd155461918119
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton143561421-714
16Leicester CityLeicester153572130-914
17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich151681427-139
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1523102338-159
20Southampton1512121131-205


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!