Lionel Messi return date revealed by Argentina manager

The Argentine star has struggled with a muscle injury in recent weeks.

Lionel Messi could return to action in his side’s upcoming World Cup qualifier against Paraguay, according to Lionel Scaloni.

After a fantastic start at Inter Miami, Messi had to stay out of action for four weeks with a muscle injury. The 35-year-old returned to the pitch for ten minutes in his side’s clash against Cincinnati last Sunday.

It seems that Messi’s recovery has convinced Scaloni to consider starting him against Paraguay.

“We still have training, it is important for Leo,” the Argentina manager told reporters. “We saw him [looking] well, we will talk before practice to see if he plays from the beginning or not.”

Argentina will play two World Cup qualifiers in the current international break. First, they will host Paraguay on Friday before travelling to Peru five days later.

Following Inter Miami‘s failure to reach the MLS playoffs, Messi has no club football to play until late February. However, he could return to action when Argentina continue their World Cup qualifying campaign in November. The Albiceleste will face Uruguay and Brazil on November 17 and 22.