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Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi will be facing a late fitness test ahead of the Leagues Cup match against Pumas UNAM. The Argentine was injured in the win over Necaxa last week and had medical tests earlier on Monday.
The MLS club have now provided an update on the forward and have not ruled him out of the upcoming matches. The medical team has not provided a timeline on the injury issue, and the statement read:
"Inter Miami CF today has provided an injury update presented by Baptist Health for Inter Miami CF captain Leo Messi. Messi underwent medical tests to evaluate the extent of the muscle discomfort he experienced during last night's Leagues Cup match against Necaxa, which forced him to leave the field. The results confirmed a minor muscle injury in his right leg. His medical clearance will depend on his clinical progress and response to treatment."
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Javier Mascherano revealed after the Necaxa win that Messi was not in pain, thus ruling out a serious injury. He wanted to wait until the medical reports were in before commenting on the issue and said (via GOAL):
"We won't know anything until tomorrow. Maybe it's not something serious because he wasn't in pain, but he felt something."
Jordi Alba also spoke about the injury and admitted that the whole Inter Miami squad was sad. He hoped that it was not serious and said (via GOAL):
"Very sad for the whole team that the best player in the world, of the history, is injured. He's an important player. It's a shame. Hopefully, it's not serious because we need him."
Lionel Messi came off injured in the 11th minute of the game against Necaxa when they were 1-0 up. The MLS side needed an injury-time goal to make it 2-2, but ended up winning 5-4 in the penalty shootout.
Javier Mascherano commented on Lionel Messi's game time at Inter Miami
Javier Mascherano spoke about Lionel Messi's workload management and claimed that he will always pick the Inter Miami superstar when available. He has given the Barcelona legend the freedom to decide when he wants to sit out of games and said (via BeIN SPORTS):
"If Leo is doing well, my idea is to always play him. If there's anyone who knows how to manage themselves on the field, it's him. This year we've played several games without Leo, and the team did well to make sure his absence wasn't too noticeable."
Lionel Messi was in red-hot form in the MLS before and after the FIFA Club World Cup games. He had scored six braces in seven matches, while also scoring once in the Club World Cup against FC Porto.
