Inter Miami supporters will be rejoicing after their talismanic forward appeared on the grass at the club's training base ahead of the team's crunch MLS clash with New York City
Lionel Messi made an appearance out on the grass at Inter Miami training ahead of the team's crunch MLS six-pointer versus New York City as they chase their playoffs dream.
In truth, his teammates struggled in his absence as they fell at the final hurdle in the cup final on Wednesday with a particularly listless display. The necessity for the club's talisman to find his groove once more could not be more pressing either, with Miami's post-season hopes now in last-chance saloon territory.
Alongside fellow key performer Jordi Alba, he would eventually not even make the bench for the limp defeat against Houston. Instead both had to watch on from the stands as their team's chance for a second piece of silverware of the campaign went up in smoke. The Herons have five matches left to play of the regular season, meaning the uncertainty over captain Messi's fitness is pretty ill-timed. Speaking after Miami's cup final defeat, Martino admitted that his medical team had advised him to leave the star out of his squad for the showpiece.He said: "It was not prudent for him to play, too risky, even for a few minutes. He will play in league games going forward, but will go game by game based on what the medical team tells us.