Newcastle's Harvey Barnes to replace injured Eberechi Eze in England squad

Newcastle United winger Harvey Barnes is poised to receive his second senior England call-up after Crystal Palace forward Eberechi Eze withdrew from Thomas Tuchel’s squad with a calf injury.

Eze, 27, missed Arsenal’s Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City on Sunday and will undergo a follow-up scan this week after sustaining the problem in last Tuesday’s Champions League defeat to Bayer Leverkusen. “We have to do another scan in six or seven days and wait and see the results,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta confirmed on Sunday.

Barnes, 28, has been rewarded for a prolific season on Tyneside in which he has contributed 14 goals and five assists in 50 appearances across all competitions. The winger has featured in every Premier League match bar one and started all 12 of Newcastle’s Champions League fixtures, establishing himself as a key component of Eddie Howe’s attack.

The impending invitation ends a six-year wait since Barnes earned his solitary England cap in a friendly against Wales in October 2020. Scotland had recently attempted to persuade Barnes to switch allegiance ahead of the next World Cup through his Scottish grandparents, but the player declined the approach and remains committed to the Three Lions.

England are preparing for back-to-back Wembley friendlies against Uruguay on 27 March and Japan four days later. Barnes is expected to link up with the squad once the formalities are completed, though the Football Association has yet to confirm the replacement.

In a further blow to Tuchel’s defensive options, Leverkusen have announced that centre-back Jarell Quansah will also miss the international window after sustaining a left-thigh muscle injury in the same Champions League tie that ended Eze’s participation.