Inter Miami star Lionel Messi may not feature in the club’s midweek contest against Orlando City, as his presence is in doubt due to a minor knee injury.
The news was announced by Gerardo Marino’s assistant coach, Javier Morales, who added that the Messi will be evaluated once again before the match to decide whether he can play or not.
Lionel Messi and Antonela Rocuzzo dress up as factory employees to visit a new sponsor
“Today we are going to check Messi, see how he feels during training and then make a decision,” Morales said. “Yesterday he rode a bike, jogged a little bit and felt his knee, but we’ll see how he is today.
“He suffered a blow to the knee on Saturday against Montreal, kept playing until the end of the game and then iced it when it was over. Yesterday he trained with the players who did regenerative work, with the bike and a bit of jogging on the pitch.”
Messi was injured in Miami’s 3-2 win over Montreal last Saturday. The Argentine forward was fouled by Montreal’s George Campbell in the 40th minute, forcing Messi to bend over holding his knee, although he was cleared to play the rest of the match.
“Now, like the rest of the players, we will evaluate them to see how they feel and who is ready,” Morales said. “Serhiy Kryvtsov, for example, felt a cramp. The players who started against Montreal did regenerative work in the gym. We will talk to them today, see how they feel and see what we will do tomorrow against Orlando City.”
Preparing for the match against Orlando
Messi, like most of the players who started against Montreal, did not participate in the first 15 minutes of Tuesday morning’s training session. But Morales said he has a “competitive” mentality when he returns from a knock.
“I’ve known Messi as a person for a year, he’s a very competitive player,” Morales said. “In everything he plays he wants to win. In everything he does, he tries to do his best. He came here to try to build this league and now he’s preparing for the Copa America. Every time he plays, he will try to win, to do the best he can. We are very happy and glad to have him with us.”
For his part, Alba joined several players on the pitch during Tuesday’s session open to the media.
The defender returns after a four-game stint on the sidelines with a right leg injury suffered during the second half of the 3-2 win over Sporting Kansas City on April 13. He is expected to play against Orlando.
