Leicester City suffers an injury setback as winger Harvey Barnes is set to miss this year’s European Championship for England.
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers confirmed that the winger has suffered a setback in his return from knee surgery. Barnes was initially expected to miss around six weeks after sustaining an injury during February’s 3-1 home defeat by Arsenal.
Confirming the setback, Rodgers said Barnes needed another surgery that would keep him out for the rest of the season.
“We’ve had a slight setback with Harvey,” Rodgers said.
“He’s just gone in to have a second, minor operation, to clear up some of the damage in his knee,” he added.
“It will probably rule him out for the rest of the season. But the plan is to get him through this and then he’ll be back for pre-season,” Brendan revealed.
The Leicester boss explains his disappointment and the unfortunate injury that has denied Barnes the European Championship. Rodgers added that getting Barnes back for next season is the most important thing.
“It’s a shame (he will miss the Euros) because he’s been outstanding. We hoped he’d be back to play some part, but it’s not to be. The most important thing is getting his knee right and ready for next season,” Rodgers explained.
The 23-year-old has been one of Leicester’s most influential players this season with nine goals and four assists. Also, his sparkled form gave him England’s debut in October.
The Foxes trails second-placed Manchester United by five points and four points off the fifth place. However, Rodgers remains confident Lei can overhaul the deficit and still go higher in the table.
“The last five games are going to be exciting,” Rodgers said.
“We’re five points behind United and we’ve still got them to play. Our focus is very much looking up … to finish as high as we can,” he explained.