Inter Miami head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino said Friday that Lionel Messi will soon be ready to join the team for training and insisted he will return to the field before the end of the MLS regular season.
Messi has been sidelined with an ankle ligament injury since exiting the pitch at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, in the July 14 Copa América final between Argentina and Colombia. He missed Miami’s entire 2024 Leagues Cup campaign with the right ankle problem and looks set to sit out the next few MLS regular-season matches as well.
The forward was also omitted from Argentina’s national team roster for the September round of World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Colombia.
Speaking at a news conference Friday, Martino denied that the injury was more serious than initially anticipated, saying that Messi’s progress more or less lines up with what the team forecasted.
Martino revealed Messi is expected to be back before playoffs begin in the last week of October.
“The work is planned by the medical part with the physical trainers. But yes, he returns before the end of the regular season,” he said.
