Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has issued a concerning injury update on Lionel Messi ahead of the forward’s return to Inter Miami.
Speaking to the press via Marca, the South American coach revealed that Messi might not feature this week in Argentina’s final international fixture before heading back to Florida.
The 36-year-old scored a stunning free-kick in Argentina’s 1-0 win against Ecuador last week, yet Messi’s fitness might now see the forward miss out on their upcoming clash against Bolivia.
With Inter Miami now in a strong position to qualify for the MLS playoffs, Messi missing an upcoming game or two could be massive in Tata Martino’s side making the post-season.
And Scaloni’s comments didn’t help, matters with the coach saying: “Messi and Cuti Romero are fit, and we’ll see if he plays from the start or from the bench or even if he doesn’t play.
“He trained separately as a precaution and the other day he was tired and asked to be substituted, but he will be in Bolivia.”
Inter Miami can’t afford Messi to pick up an injury now
Inter Miami might have held their own against Sporting Kansas City this weekend, but with some tough games on the horizon, the Herons simply can’t afford for Messi to be out through injury.
The attacker remains arguably the best player on the planet and the entire reason behind Inter Miami’s sensational transformation in the past three months.
And Messi missing one or two games through injury could be the difference between Inter Miami qualifying for the playoffs or missing out entirely.