Lionel Messi looks "fully recovered," says Inter Miami head coach Gerardo Martino
Feb 16, 2024
Miami [US], February 16 : Following Inter Miami's 1-1 draw against Newell's in a Club Friendly match, the Florida-based club's head coach Gerardo Martino opened up on Lionel Messi's fitness stating that the starr footballer has "fully recovered".
Addressing a post-match press conference, Martino revealed that they were planning to let Messi play between 40 and 60 minutes.
The head coach said that Messi has recovered after seeing the way accelerated on the field in the friendly match. He further added that they are planning to make him start for Inter Miami in their opening fixture of the Major League Soccer (MLS).
"Our plan was for Leo to play 45 to 60 minutes and he played almost 60 and felt good. The way he was playing, the way he accelerated, it looked like he is fully recovered. The idea is for him to be ready for the 21st," Martino was quoted by GOAL.com as saying.
The head coach further gave an update on Luis Suarez's fitness and said that "he looked good". However, Martino added that the Uruguayan striker needs to work hard in the club to make connections with other club members like Julian Gressel, Diego Gomez and others.
"Physically he looked good, but what impeded his preseason is not enough time working with the group. Leo, (Sergio) Busquets and (Jordi) Alba know him from before but the other players don't know his tendencies, especially players who will be in the attack with him, like (Julian) Gressel and (Diego) Gomez. They need more time together," he added.
On Friday, Messi started for Inter Miami again Newells and played till the 60th minute of the game. However, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner failed to get the back of the net in the game. Shanyder Borgelin scored the only goal for Inter Miami.
Miami will start their MLS campaign against Real Salt Lake on February 22 at DRV PNK Stadium.
