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Inter Miami star Julian Gressel has provided a big update on Lionel Messi's fitness ahead of his team's Major League Soccer (MLS) match against Philadelphia Union on September 14.
Messi, 37, has been out of action since picking up an ankle problem in Argentina's 1-0 Copa America final victory against Colombia on July 14. He last played for the Herons in their end-to-end 3-3 MLS draw against St. Louis City on June 1, netting one goal in the process.
Speaking recently on the Player/Manager podcast, Gressel asserted that Messi is inching closer to returning to first-team action for Gerardo Martino's outfit. He said (h/t GOAL):
"He's not really limping anymore. He's been part of team training, but I think it was a little bit too early, that Chicago Fire game [on August 31] for him. I think he ultimately made the decision to just give it another couple of weeks because now, we have the international break and he's with the national team."
Gressel, who has made 34 total appearances for Inter Miami, added:
"I expect him to be part of the team in the next game [against Philadelphia]. I think it's something that is realistic where we'll have two weeks of full training. At times, he's still a little bit limited, obviously, but I think that they're being cautious with him and seeing how he feels on a daily basis. It's still somewhat day-to-day."
Expressing his excitement of having Messi back soon, Gressel opined:
"But he's definitely been in team training, he's been part of the group more on the field, and it's nice. It's nice to see him back out there because it's Leo Messi. If you can add a guy like that after what we've done over the past two months, it's certainly going to be an interesting kind of finish to the end here."
How have Inter Miami fared in league & cup competitions without Lionel Messi's impact?
Despite missing the eight-time Ballon d'Or award winner due to his ankle injury for around two months, Inter Miami have booked a MLS play-off spot. They are currently atop the Eastern Conference table.
Inter Miami, who finished 14th in the Eastern Conference standings last year, have won eight of their last nine league games. They have scored 20 times and shipped 13 goals in the aforementioned period of time.
On the other hand, Inter Miami failed to defend their Leagues Cup trophy in their captain's absence. They crashed to a 3-2 loss to Columbus Crew in the last-16 stage of the cup competition last month.
