In Inter Miami’s latest training session on Wednesday, Lionel Messi was absent and this surprised the media and fans.

More than a week ago, coach Tata Martino himself confirmed that Lionel Messi would return to play with Inter Miami on September 15 in the match against Philadelphia Union in MLS. However, in the training session to prepare for this match yesterday, September 11, Messi was unexpectedly absent from the team, which made fans doubt his ability to return to play officially.

According to the Herald, although Lionel Messi was not seen, his bodyguard Yassine Chueko was still seen at Inter Miami’s ‘headquarters’. This shows that the Argentine superstar is there, so why isn’t he on the training field with the team?

The reason Messi skipped training with the entire Inter Miami team was explained by journalist Gaston Edul. Specifically, Messi’s ankle problem did not worsen or cause a new injury, but because the Argentine superstar had the flu, doctors asked him to practice indoors instead of going out on the field.

Lionel Messi has been recovering for the past two months to be able to return to play with Inter Miami soon, he is still on the way back and if he is not fit enough to play against Philadelphia Union this weekend, he can still return when the home team meets Atlanta United in the middle of next week.

Lionel Messi last played for Inter Miami in June, scoring in a 3-3 draw with St. Louis City before being called up to the Argentina squad for the 2024 Copa America. In the nine games without Messi, Inter Miami have had a remarkable run, winning eight of their matches.

Currently, after 27 rounds of MLS Eastern, Inter Miami is still maintaining the top position in the rankings with 59 points, 8 points more than the team right behind, Cincinnati.