‘He’s magic’ – Matt Le Tissier wants one-cap Newcastle star to be selected by England
Harvey Barnes deserves an England call-up to show Thomas Tuchel what he can do in the absence of his injured club teammate Anthony Gordon.
That is according to Premier League legend Matt Le Tissier, who has exclusively told Football Insider that he also wants to see both Jack Grealish and Tyrick Mitchell back in the Three Lions set-up.
England qualified for the 2026 World Cup in the last international break and are now heading into their final round of group games against Serbia and Albania.
Thomas Tuchel named his Three Lions squad last week, with recalls for Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham the major headlines.
The likes of Anthony Gordon, Marc Guehi and Nick Pope have all suffered injuries and are set to drop-out of contention for the next two fixtures, however, with Harvey Barnes mooted as a replacement for the former.
Barnes has impressed this season despite Newcastle’s poor form
Barnes was linked with a move away from Newcastle in the summer after spending last season the fringes of Eddie Howe‘s squad.
He has stepped up this season to register four goals and two assists in 17 appearances and seven starts so far, with a well-taken strike against Brentford last time out.
The 27-year-old was handed his England debut by Gareth Southgate against Wales in October 2020, but has not been called up to represent his country since then.
Magpies teammate Gordon is injured and Howe has confirmed that “he’ll miss England,” so Tuchel may well be looking for a replacement to bring into the squad for the next week.
Le Tissier wants to see Barnes playing for England alongside Grealish and Mitchell
Grealish has not played for England since October 2024, while left-back Mitchell has impressed for Palace this season but has not featured for his country since his two maiden caps in March 2022.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, former England and Southampton striker Le Tissier backed Tuchel to hand call-ups to the likes of Barnes, Grealish and Mitchell to replace those injured players after they were unlucky not to be named in the squad last week.
He said: “I think Jack Grealish’s form has been pretty good this year. He could consider himself a little bit unlucky not to be in there.
“I think probably Tyrick Mitchell at Crystal Palace (deserved a call-up). We’re not overly blessed in the left-back department at the moment. You know, he’s been pretty solid in that position for a while now.
“He might be able to consider himself a little bit unfortunate as well. And I think Harvey Barnes is a good player. He’s somebody who’s, again, got a little bit of magic in his feet to try and change a game. I wouldn’t be averse to seeing Harvey in England’s squad as well.”