Newcastle star 'very frustrated' by Eddie Howe snub last weekend - Report

In his latest piece for The Mail, Craig Hope has revealed that Harvey Barnes was left surprised and 'very frustrated' by being left out of Eddie Howe's starting 11 for last weekend's 1-0 win over Southampton.

After starting five or our six pre-season games and seeing Anthony Gordon return late following his extended break after Euro 2024, it's believed that Barnes was expecting to start, feeling he'd proven his fitness over the summer.

However, Gordon was given the nod from the odd - despite 45 minutes of pre-season action all summer - and it was noticeable that last season's star winger was rusty and a yard off the pace.

Barnes did come on midway through the second half and helped us see out a 1-0 win with 10 men, but was thought to be frustrated by Howe's call after feeling he'd done enough to get the nod for last weekend's opener.

A freak footy injury saw the 26-year-old miss 17 of our 38 Premier League games last season, yet he often contributed when fit, bagging five goals and three assists in 794 minutes of league action.

Hopefully he can harness that frustration positively this week and take his chance if it comes at Bournemouth, although you do wonder how he'll get regular starts if Gordon stays fit and a new right-winger signs. It's great having depth, but it'll be tough for Howe to keep everyone happy when we're back to a clean bill of health.

https://twitter.com/CraigHope_DM/status/1826641539973742620