Lionel Messi’s return to action for Inter Miami has been delayed due to a minor setback. The Argentine superstar, who has been sidelined since Argentina’s Copa America 2024 triumph in July, was expected to make his comeback soon. However, he missed his team’s training session on Wednesday ahead of their match against Philadelphia Union this weekend.
Messi suffered an ankle ligament injury during the Copa America final and had to leave the field in the second half. According to Argentine journalist Gaston Edul, Messi has not aggravated his ankle injury but is dealing with flu symptoms. He is expected to feature in Miami’s clash against Atlanta United on September 19.
Messi’s last appearance for Miami was in June, where he scored in a 3-3 draw against St Louis City. In the nine matches without him, Inter Miami have won eight.
In August, Miami head coach Tata Martino provided an update on Messi’s return. He said, “He is developing well, it was foreseeable that he would not be with Argentina because he is not yet in a position to play, but we continue to see him develop. There is no estimate, because you are already starting to see how you feel as you add training on the field.”
“The work is planned by the medical part with the physical trainers. But yes, he returns before the end of the regular season.”
“I wouldn’t be able to give an approximate number of days that he returns to training but it is not a situation that is too far away. There is a part of the injuries that have to do with the physical and there is a part of the injuries that has to do with the mental, so we have to overcome them both ways and I think that he is going through that process.”
“He is feeling better and better, he has been working in the field for three or four days now. We cannot give time because we do not know and it would be speculating about something that may not be possible to do, but it is close,” he added.
