Gerardo Martino spoke about Lionel Messi’s health
After being eliminated from the Leagues Cup, Inter Miami will return to action in Major League Soccer, a competition that has it as leader of the Eastern Conference. However, one of the main focuses of attention continues to be Lionel Messi and his recovery. The captain of the Garzas was injured in the final of the Copa América and since then he has not been able to play any minutes officially.
At the time, the club reported that the Rosario native “suffers from a ligament injury in his right ankle” and that “the captain’s availability will depend on periodic evaluations and the progress of his recovery.” After missing the last 11 matches with the American franchise, Gerardo Martino gave a press conference in which he gave details about the condition of the number 10 and his possible return to the playing fields.
“The timing is more or less right, he is not training with the group, he is already going out on the field and working with the physical trainers and is progressing well. It was foreseeable that he would not be with Argentina because he is not yet in condition to play, but we are still doing well,” Tata began his story. It is worth remembering that the World Champion in Qatar 2022 and two-time American Champion with the Argentine national team had to wear an orthopedic boot on his ankle for a few days, which he showed off in the stands of Chase Stadium when he went to the stadium to encourage his teammates. Given this situation, Lionel Scaloni decided not to call him up for the following Albiceleste matches in the South American Qualifiers (Thursday, September 5 against Chile at the Monumental and Tuesday, September 10 against Colombia as a visitor).
In response to the insistence of those present, the technical director stressed that “there is no estimated date, because we are just beginning to see how he feels as he continues to train on the field.” However, he then added: “I wouldn’t dare to tell you in terms of days, but it is not a situation that is too far away.”
According to Miami Herald journalist Michelle Kaufman, who covers Inter Miami on a daily basis, the Fort Lauderdale team is planning for the former Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain player to play again in the match scheduled for September 14 against Philadelphia Union at home. This information is in line with what Martino said, when he stressed that “he will return before the end of the regular season.” The final match is scheduled for November 19 against New England Revolution at Chase Stadium.
During the press conference, the coach also commented that “some of the injuries have to do with the physical and others with the mental, so you have to overcome them both ways. And I think he is in that process, he is feeling better and better. He has been working on the field for three or four days now, he had not yet gone out and he felt fine. We cannot give him time because we do not know and it would be speculating about something that perhaps cannot be done, but he is close.”
It is worth noting that this Saturday Inter Miami will host Cincinnati FC, their runner-up in the Eastern Conference. The franchise that has David Beckham as one of its main investors leads with 53 points, while the Ohio team is five points behind. Then on Saturday, August 31, they will go to the home of Chicago Fire (second to last, with 25 points).
