Lionel Messi has not played a game since last month during the Copa America final, where the Inter Miami star was injured playing for Argentina.
The reigning Ballon d’Or holder twisted his ankle against Colombia, with Messi still on the road to recovery having missed every Inter Miami game since the Copa America ended in mid-July.
With Inter Miami confident that Messi will be back by the end of the month, the Argentine superstar is currently in a race against time to be fit in time for the Herons’ huge MLS fixtures at the end of the month.
And Argentina have now made a decision on whether to take Messi for the September international break.
Messi to remain with Inter Miami after not being selected by Argentina
As per Argentina’s official Twitter account, Messi has not been named in Lionel Scaloni’s squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Chile, with the attacker set to remain in Florida with Inter Miami.
With Messi not even training with the ball yet with Inter Miami, the decision to keep the attacker at his club makes a lot of sense from Argentina, with former MLS star Taty Castellanos being named as the 37-year-old’s replacement.
Indeed, Messi is seemingly close to returning to full fitness given how confident Inter Miami reportedly are in the attacking making his comeback at the end of this month.
And with Messi not picked for international duty with Argentina, the recovery time could accelerate with the attacker no longer traveling to South America to compete in two games that the forward clearly isn’t fit for.
Messi staying with Inter Miami is the best possible decision
Messi is clearly nowhere near ready to return to the pitch with the attacker still not in full Inter Miami training having been out injured for well over a month.
Yet the decision for the forward to remain with the Herons in Florida for the September international break is a smart one, with Messi in need of the best possible treatment on his road to recovery.
With the final MLS regular season games around the corner, having Messi back will be huge for Inter Miami, and the forward missing Argentina’s latest games could be a crucial step in the right direction.