Is Lionel Messi injured again? Inter Miami assistant manager shares update

Assistant manager Javier Morales updated on the Argentine star’s fitness after the game.

Javier Mascherano’s assistant, Javier Morales, clarified on Wednesday that Lionel Messi wasn’t feeling well enough to play against Tigres UANL of Mexico in the Leagues Cup quarterfinal.

Mascherano, who was shown the red card during the game, didn’t attend the press conference, which was held after the game. Instead, Morales spoke to the media and revealed why Messi was left out of the roster for the 2-1 triumph over Tigres.

“Today Javier (Mascherano) had a conversation with Leo and, given how he was feeling—which wasn’t great—we preferred not to take risks and avoid any setbacks, opting instead to play it safe,” said Javier Morales.

After missing two games in a row, Messi made his comeback last weekend. On August 2, the No. 10 was forced off the field ten minutes into the Leagues Cup encounter against Necaxa due to a right leg injury.

Mascherano insisted Messi wasn’t at his best despite playing vs LA Galaxy

In the pregame press conference before the game against Tigres, Mascherano acknowledged that Lionel Messi’s sensations during last Saturday’s game against the LA Galaxy “were not the best.” This is despite the fact that he played 45 minutes.

In the days preceding the quarterfinal encounter, Messi practised apart from the rest of the group, raising questions about his participation. Mascherano stressed that Messi’s fitness was carefully watched as they didn’t want to take any risk by starting him in the game.

Messi was wearing casual clothes when he and his colleagues arrived at Chase Stadium following their 2-1 win against Tigres. The team won the tournament’s first edition in 2023, when the former Barcelona star led Inter Miami to the trophy after making his debut in July.

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