Harvey Barnes’ explosive stats put Marcus Rashford and Eberechi Eze in the shade, he’s England’s surprise answer
England manager Thomas Tuchel currently has a major headache over who to play at left-wing in the expected injury-induced absence of Anthony Gordon.
Despite Gordon being injured for Newcastle, the winger was bizarrely called up for the Three Lions for their final World Cup qualifying matches.
Since the arrival of the German, the left-hand side has proved to be a tricky position to fill with many players given an opportunity to stake a claim for the role.
However, Premier League legend Matt Le Tissier exclusively told Football Insider that Harvey Barnes should get a call-up for England in the absence of his teammate, of which Tuchel has not carried out.
Barnes to present Thomas Tuchel with England conundrum as stats compared
Using data from FBRef for the 2025-26 season in all competitions, the Newcastle man has been compared to three of his likeliest rivals for the left-wing starting berth.
This doesn’t include Jack Grealish who hasn’t been picked for England since his loan move to Everton in the summer, despite some promising performances.
Marcus Rashford, Gordon and Eberechi Eze seem to be possible challengers for the starting role down the left-hand side with Noni Madueke also set to fight for his place when back from injury.
Yet, the stats are in Barnes‘ favour with his 4.23 progressive carries per-90 and 0.48 goals per-90 topping the charts, reflecting his attacking explosivity.
| Selected stats (2025-26 season all competitions) | Harvey Barnes | Marcus Rashford | Anthony Gordon | Eberechi Eze |
| Appearances (starts) | 17 (7) | 16 (13) | 13 (12) | 17 (13) |
| Goals (per-90) | 4 (0.48) | 6 (0.48) | 4 (0.43) | 2 (0.16) |
| Assists (per-90) | 2 (0.24) | 7 (0.56) | 1 (0.11) | 2 (0.16) |
| Progressive carries per-90 | 4.23 | 4.08 | 4.00 | 1.52 |
| Aerial duels won (%) | 100% | 40% | 55.6% | 41.2% |
| Blocks per-90 | 0.85 | 0.48 | 0.47 | 0.71 |
| Crosses per-90 | 3.69 | 4.80 | 2.72 | 1.10 |
Conversely, the former Leicester City man also dominates in certain defensive categories, winning 100 per cent of his aerial duels this season as well as making 0.85 blocks per-90.
The number 11 also runs Rashford close for crosses per-90, delivering 3.69 which rivals his compatriot’s 4.80, in what will be a vital attribute in the Tuchel system from wide players.
What is intriguing with Barnes’ stats is that he has only started seven matches so far this season, highlighting his clinical nature in front of goal which should put him in the German’s thinking.
Tuchel spoilt for choice with wingers with many players still to challenge
Whilst Barnes will be eager to claim more caps in the coming months as the World Cup nears, he will certainly have his work cut out by the plethora of wide attacking talent.
On the right-hand side alone, the likes of Bukayo Saka, Jarrod Bowen and even Phil Foden will be vying for a start with the dual-sided Madueke also in the mix.
Similarly, the aforementioned Grealish will be gunning for a Three Lions call-up after a one-year hiatus from the national team set-up.
It is a luxurious position for Tuchel to be in when it comes to deciding on his finalised squad for the World Cup next summer.
However, with so much quality in the wide positions, there are likely to be some omissions which will infuriate fans and Barnes could very well end up being one of those.