FC Barcelona have confirmed that Lionel Messi has suffered an injury in his left hamstring. The Argentine striker did play for the Albiceleste during the international break in what was a comeback of sorts after having retired following the 2016 Copa America final.
Messi played the full 90 minutes of the game against Uruguay and even scored via a deflected shot in a 1-0 victory in the 2018 World Cup qualifier. But the club have now confirmed that he will not train as hard as the others and his availability in La Liga this weekend is subject to his progress.
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Barcelona’s official statement on Messi’s injury
“Tests conducted today on Leo Messi have confirmed that they player is still having trouble with the adductor muscle in his left hamstring. He has been recommended to lighten his training load over the next few days and his availability will depend on how the issue progresses.
“Messi has played all 90 minutes of every competitive first team fixture to date this season – both legs of the Spanish Super Cup and the league games with Betis and Athletic Bilbao, scoring three goals.
“After the game at San Mamés, the Barça striker travelled to Argentina for a World Cup qualifier at home to Luis Suárez’s Uruguay. He played all ninety minutes of that game too, scoring the only goal of a 1-0 win.”
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Messi’s return date not set
The 29-year-old has had a busy couple of seasons thanks to international tournaments in the past three summers. The 2014 World Cup and the two Copa America tournaments in 2015 and 2016 have taken its toll on many South American players and Messi had reached the final of all three tournaments.
Having been given an extended holiday following the Copa America loss to Chile in the United States, the forward had actually cut short his holiday to join the Barcelona squad in pre-season. The Catalan club were training in the UK ahead of their matches against Scottish champions Celtic and Premier League champions Leicester City when Messi joined the team.
In the two league matches he has played against Real Betis and Athletic Bilbao, Messi has already scored twice and grabbed an assist – all of which came in the La Liga opener. Whether he takes part in the weekend game against Alaves is still not confirmed.
Barcelona boss Luis Enrique and his medical staff will be keeping a close eye on him in training to ensure that he is at least available for the first Champions League tie on 13 September when they face Celtic in a group that also consists of Manchester City and Borussia Monchengladbach.
