Inter Miami reportedly have a verdict in mind on whether or not to rush Lionel Messi back after the forward suffered an injury at the Copa America.
The 37-year-old attacker twisted his ankle on the turf in Argentina’s Copa America final against Colombia, with Messi forced to come off, as the attacker didn’t even attend the trophy parade back home.
With Messi set to miss at least the next two MLS games between Toronto FC and the Chicago Fire, Inter Miami face even more fixtures without their superstar attacker having missed the reigning Ballon d’Or holder for well over a month.
And the Herons now have an idea on if they’re going to rush Messi back to full fitness.
Inter Miami to give Messi as much time as possible to recover from injury
According to AS, Inter Miami will do everything in their power to give Mess as much time as possible to recover from this latest injury setback, with the forward’s participation in MLS All-Star week already in doubt.
With Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup title defense also kicking off this month, the Herons will likely want Messi back at some stage during the tournament if the Florida franchise once again make it out of their group stage.
Indeed, having already won Leagues Cup, though, there will be little pressure on Inter Miami to repeat this feat this year, given that MLS Cup and the Supporters’ Shield have much bigger importance this season.
And with Messi expected to be given as much rest as possible, giving the forward the entire tournament off could be a smart idea from Inter Miami, especially with a big MLS fixture coming up at the end of August in FC Cincinnati.
Messi could realistically not play for an entire month
At 37-years-old, Messi is a player Inter Miami can’t afford to rush back, with the Herons experiencing this first-hand last year when the attacker was overplayed and constantly injured for Tata Martino’s side.
And after this summer’s Copa America, giving Messi as much as a month off could be a wise decision from Inter Miami, who realistically don’t have a match that they 100% need the Argentine for until the end of August.
Messi’s fitness is of huge importance, and giving the attacker as long as he needs to recover could be the difference between Inter Miami winning more silverware or ending the year on a disappointing low.