Messi to miss Barcelona's USA tour with calf injury

Lionel Messi has a minor calf strain and will not join Barcelona for their pre-season matches against Napoli in the United States.

Published : Aug 05, 2019 17:00 IST

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi
lightbox-info

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi will not travel to the United States with the Barcelona squad this week after sustaining a calf injury.

The Argentina star suffered a grade one strain during training on Monday and will stay in Catalonia to recover.

It was Messi's first training session since his return from holiday following the Copa America in Brazil.

Barca confirmed in a statement that Messi "withdrew from the session due to discomfort in his right leg. Tests carried out have diagnosed a Grade 1 calf strain for the Argentine."

There is no time frame for his recovery but it is unlikely he will be definitively ruled out of Barca's LaLiga opener against Athletic Bilbao on August 16.

 

"I was looking forward to starting and unfortunately I had an accident in the first training session that will leave me out for a little while," Messi wrote on Instagram.

"I'm grateful for all your messages and displays of affection, I wanted to be with the team and with the people who follow us in the USA.

"It wasn't to be this time, but we'll see each other again soon. A hug to everyone."

Ernesto Valverde's side, which beat Arsenal 2-1 in the Joan Gamper Trophy match on Sunday, travels to the USA this week for two matches against Napoli.

The first is in Miami on Wednesday and the second in Michigan on Saturday.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment