Jeff Stelling is baffled by Claude Puel’s decision to recall Harvey Barnes from his loan spell at West Brom after the 21-year-old was only named to start on the bench in Leicester’s clash against Southampton on Saturday.
Barnes, 21, returned to the King Power earlier than scheduled on Friday, but failed to make it into the Foxes’ starting line-up as he continues his wait to start a Premier League game.
Legendary Sky Sports host Stelling cannot understand why Puel would recall Barnes if he wasn’t going to play him, suggesting that he should either be in his starting line-up, or left to finish his loan stint at West Brom.
“He’s recalled Harvey Barnes from West Bromwich Albion, which is an absolute body blow to West Brom,” said Stelling during Gillette Soccer Saturday: Build-up on Sky Sports Football this weekend.
“He’s only 21 years of age, he’s never started in a league game for Leicester, you wonder whether this is a man who’s time is coming.”
He added: “They love him at West Brom.
“The daft thing is that Claude Puel has said ‘look, he is a clinical player, he can start a move, he can finish a move’, then he puts him on the bench.”
OPINION
Puel is more than likely one of the most hated men in football at West Brom right now after tearing Barnes away from them for the second-half of the season. The England Under-21 international has been a sensation at The Hawthorns. Whenever he got the ball, fans were off their seats because you knew that something magical was going to happen. It was always bittersweet because you knew that the day would come when Barnes would go back to Leicester, but no one thought it would be on January 11, on the eve of a big game against Norwich. Puel simply has to play Barnes regularly between now and the end of the season to justify this decision. It obviously hasn’t gone down well with West Brom fans but there are even some Leicester fans failing to see the logic in the decision. Barnes should be starting. He does not belong on the bench.