Messi missing from Inter Miami training in surprise absence | OneFootball

Inter Miami concluded its participation in the first phase of Major League Soccer in the best possible way, with a 5-2 away victory against Nashville, featuring a hat-trick by Lionel Messi. However, this Tuesday, on the eve of the first match of the final phase, which will be this Friday against the same team but at Chase Stadium, Messi surprisingly missed practice.

The training, under the guidance of Javier Mascherano, took place at the club's facilities without the Argentine star, and there was no official information from the Herons. Thus, speculations began, and it might be an intention by Mascherano to reduce the workload ahead of the final stage of the MLS.

Messi, currently the top scorer in the American league with 29 goals in 34 matches, will seek the title with Inter Miami, which finished third in the Eastern Conference and will face Nashville in the first round of the final phase. At the end of the year, Messi's contract expires, and although he has not yet signed, everything is well underway for his continuation.

"It will be a question that Leo must answer when he feels he should. I am not the one to answer for him. I don't know if I know or don't know, it's not my place to answer that," expressed Rodrigo De Paul, also a player for the Herons, in a press conference he gave this Tuesday after practice.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.