Inter Miami drop hint over Lionel Messi after injury fears and season shutdown
Lionel Messi may be set for a timely return to action for his struggling MLS outfit Inter Miami as they look to keep their dwindling playoff hopes alive.
The Argentine superstar has been a major miss for the Herons since he returned from international duty nursing a muscle scarring issue. In all, the 36-year-old has managed just 37 minutes of action during his new team's past five matches, appearing just once in this period.
Supporters of the Floridan franchise will be buoyed by the news that the club captain did return to training ahead of Miami's upcoming clash with Cincinnati. The veteran forward was pictured training on the grass alongside his teammates at the Herons' training base on Friday.
Even more promising for the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner's army of fans will be a coy admission of the superstar's presumed availability on social media. Inter Miami's Instagram admin seemingly let the cat out of the bag by posting a picture of Messi, with the caption: 'See you tomorrow.'
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Whether this veiled hint will result in head coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino deciding to field him during their next fixture at DRV PNK Stadium remains to be seen. However, there is no doubting Miami's need for their star man to hit the ground running if they are to salvage their MLS campaign.
Despite reaching two cup finals this season, the Herons have struggled in the Eastern Conference this term and sit second from bottom. Sitting five points off Montreal in the final playoffs slot, they have just three games to engineer a miraculous fightback if they are to make the postseason.
Speaking ahead of Miami's 4-1 defeat against Chicago Fire, manager Martino admitted that the club's medical team is assessing Messi's situation on a day-by-day basis. Explaining that the star was expected to be resuming training in due course, he explained: "He should be training. It could be today or tomorrow.
Gerardo Martino has admitted that Inter Miami are continuing to monitor Lionel Messi's fitness (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)"The thing is tomorrow is a match day. Maybe he does the first part of training, the warm-up, but only because it's a question of the quality of the training."
The Vice City boss stopped short of putting an official timeframe on the potential return of his captain to full fitness, given the mercurial nature of his health currently. He added: "I would say 'one month' if I knew it was one month.
"I make a huge mistake if I say something hastily. That's why I avoid exact times. I understand your desire to have exact times, but if I had exact times I would share them. But I don't have them either."
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