Quique Setien apparently has no concerns about his Argentine captain’s quad injury ahead of La Liga’s return, insisting instead that the superstar is “perfectly fine” in adressing Messi’s physical condition.
Messi has had to train separately after Barca confirmed their captain had suffered a quadriceps injury ahead of the Spanish league’s resumption on June 11 following a delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.
League leaders Barca are currently two points ahead of bitter rivals Real Madrid with 11 matches remaining and will restart their 2019-20 campaign against Real Mallorca on June 13. After that, they’ll face Leganes three days later before a slight break ahead of a match against Sevilla on June 21.
Despite the congested schedule, Barca boss Setien has no concerns about six-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi ahead of that initial trip to Mallorca.
“It’s not just Messi – other players haven’t trained because they’ve had niggles,” Setien told Movistar. “It’s happened to lots of them.
“Leo has a cramp that’s not hugely significant. I think he’s perfectly fine and he won’t have any problems.
“It’s the same for any other player. We’ll see how the league goes and what circumstances come up.
“We have lots of games and a small squad. I always want to have Messi on the pitch, of course.”
Messi currently leads La Liga’s goalscoring charts with 19, ahead of Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema who had netted 14 goals at the moment the league was suspended in March due to Covid-19.
While Messi’s fitness is a key point of focus for Barcelona, the club will nonetheless also be boosted by the return of Luis Suarez after the Uruguayan star’s extended injury absence, with the club confirming over the weekend that Suarez will be fit to take part in next weekend’s clash with Mallorca, signalling his return to the Barca squad for the first time since January.
Suarez has been sidelined for the last five months after having undergone surgery for a knee injury that had been expected to end his season.
However, with the season prolonged due to the coronavirus, the Uruguayan star has been well on the road to a full recovery and will be ready for the final matches of the campaign as Barca pursue La Liga’s title once again.