Lionel Messi is finally back for Inter Miami with the attacker starring for the Herons in last night’s 3-1 win against the Philadelphia Union.
The Argentine international scored twice and assisted Luis Suarez as Messi showed why he’s still one of the best players in the world even after two months out on the sideline with a serious ankle injury.
Yet as seen on Saturday, Messi hasn’t missed a beat, with the 37-year-old bringing his overall MLS tally for the year to 14 goals and ten assists in 12 league appearances, with Inter Miami having six games left of the regular season.
Yet Messi has highlighted one thing about Inter Miami’s squad that has been hard to ignore.
Messi says Inter Miami have never been at ‘full strength’ due to injuries
Speaking to Apple TV at full-time, Messi shared how Inter Miami have struggled with injuries throughout the entire season, with the forward saying the Herons are yet to be at ‘full strength’ as a result.
Facundo Farias and Nicolas Freire were ruled out for the year with ACL injuries whilst star youngsters Diego Gomez, Benjamin Cremaschi and Federico Redondo have all missed months of the season due to fitness issues.
And Messi believes Inter Miami have done well to perform as well as they have despite their injury problems, with the attacker saying: “We know the squad we have, and it is a goal. The truth is, throughout the year we’ve had a lot of bad luck with injuries. We were never at full strength.
“Due to one thing or another we were always missing players, but the team always pushed forward. Today we are in first place with a big lead, and deservedly so. Hopefully, we can finish at the top.”
Inter Miami have flourished despite massive injury problems
Inter Miami have the deepest squad in MLS history, yet the injury problems the Herons have faced this year have been nothing short of catastrophic in some problems of the season.
However, despite big injuries to huge names in the squad, Inter Miami have still flourished and adapted well to every situation that has come their way this year, with Messi’s three-month absence a good example of how the Herons have done when a key name is out.
Although Inter Miami won’t have a full squad for the remainder of the year, there are enough pieces in the team for the Herons to go for MLS Cup, with the Supporters’ Shield all-but wrapped up already this season.