Inter Miami coach revealed when to expect Messi's return

Lionel Messi did not start playing for his club Inter Miami after their Copa America victory, as the tournament triumphant player suffered an ankle injury. But his manager Gerardo Martino is already thinking about the timing of his famous compatriot's return.

The Inter Miami head coach has not given an exact timeline for his recovery, but has put forward the suggestion that he could play in one of the nine remaining games in the regular season:

‘I can't give you an approximate number of days when he will return to training, but it's not too remote a situation. There's some of the injuries that are physical and there's some of the injuries that are mental, so we have to overcome them on both sides and I think he's going through that process.

He's feeling better and better. He's been on the field for three or four days now. We can't give a time because we don't know and it would be speculation about something that maybe can't be done, but it's close,’ Martino was quoted by ESPN.

Inter Miami are five points ahead of FC Cincinnati in the MLS Eastern Conference standings despite Messi not having played since 1 June. He has 12 goals and 13 assists in 12 regular-season games.