Leicester City’s spectacular start to the season has seen the Foxes head into the festive period as Liverpool’s closest title challengers.
Premier League top scorer Jamie Vardy has dominated the plaudits with his commanding displays in front of goal. Yet still, one player whose contribution has gone under the radar is Harvey Barnes. The 21-year-old is fast becoming a vital asset to Brendan Rodgers, and he must now be knocking on the door of an England call up.
The final England squad for the European Championship qualifying contained Callum Hudson-Odoi and Callum Wilson, two players who Barnes should feel he can rival to pip their place. For starters Barnes has played significantly more Premier League football than Hudson-Odoi this season, starting eight more matches, during which he has provided more assists than the Chelsea winger as well.
Not only has Barnes scored, while the Chelsea winger is yet to find the net in the league, he can also boast a significantly better shot accuracy as the Leicester player has hit the target with 43 percent of his shots as opposed to the Chelsea teenagers 29 percent.
While Callum Wilson can point to his five goals in the league as an indicator he should be selected ahead of Barnes; with Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and Tammy Abraham, does Gareth Southgate need a fourth striker?
That is for him to decide but having an extra winger in Barnes may prove to be more useful in his favoured 4-3-3. Furthermore, at 27-years-old it might be wise for the Three Lions manager to blood some youth, as he has done with the likes of Hudson-Odoi and Jadon Sancho, instead of keeping a fourth-choice striker who is unlikely to feature frequently in the squad.
If Barnes keeps playing the way he has at the start of this season, then it is only a matter of time before the 21-year-old makes the breakthrough to the national side. There are some tremendous players currently stating in England’s front three, so he may have to be patient, but at the rate he is developing, he shouldn’t have to wait too long.
