BARNES: SCORING WILL BE SHEAR DELIGHT

HARVEY BARNES believes it is just matter of time before Alan Shearer’s advice pays off.

The young Leicester City winger was the subject of a brutal assessment by Shearer nine months ago – and it hasn’t been forgotten.

Barnes, 21, was handed some constructive criticism after he missed two clear-cut chances last season against Spurs.

Shearer dropped a couple of hints on Match of the Day on what the flier should do when the situation next arises.

Barnes (right) has scored only once this season, but says he will give a nod to the Toon legend if Shearer’s advice pays off.

Barnes said: “I’ve taken what Shearer said on board – I don’t think you can ignore advice from a person with his finishing ability. “I’ll take advice from wherever it comes, from one of the Premier League’s greatest goalscorers, Vards [Jamie Vardy] on the training pitch, wherever. The manager always has a bit to add, too.

“If I score one, I’ll give a ‘Thank you’ nod to all of them. I had one cleared off the line against Watford – I thought I’d scored. At some point this season, it’s going to click.

“Goals and assists are what everyone looks at when you are an attacking player. In terms of the assists, it’s going well.

“I think I’ve already passed the figure from last season. For me, it helps having someone like Vards up there. If you give him one chance, the form he’s in at the minute, he’s going to score, so it’s really pleasing having that confidence-boost.”

Leicester are on a roll – victory at Villa Park today would set a club record for successive top-flight wins.

“We’re on a great run, you can see we’re enjoying it,” added Barnes. “We’re not conceding – and we believe we will score in every game.”