The Inter Miami captain has not featured in their last four fixtures but he joins fellow MLS stars Facundo Farías and Thiago Almada in La Albiceleste squad.
William GittinsWillGittUpdate: Oct 5th, 2023 11:54 EDT
LUIS ROBAYOAFP
Lionel Messi has been named in the Argentina squad for the upcoming internationals, despite having not been fit to play in Inter Miami’s loss to Chicago Fire on Wednesday night.
The 36-year-old suffered a reoccurrence of a hamstring issue in last month’s win over Toronto FC and has not played any part in Miami’s last four fixtures. They have failed to win any of those games, effectively ending their hopes of making it to the playoffs.
In a recent press conference Inter Miami head coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino admitted that he did not have a timeframe for Messi’s return from injury. The Argentine manager said that the club was taking it “day-by-day”.
#SelecciónMayor Lista de convocados 🇦🇷 para los próximos encuentros ante Paraguay y Perú, correspondientes a la Fecha FIFA de Eliminatorias. pic.twitter.com/W5pReELCAK
— 🇦🇷 Selección Argentina ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina) October 5, 2023
If Messi is to play in Argentina’s next fixture he has just one week to return to contention. The Wold Cup holders face Paraguay (12 October) in Buenos Aires, before making the trip to Lima to take on Peru (17 October).
MLS involvement in Argentina squad
Messi is not the only US-based player to be named in Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina squad. Fellow World Cup winner Thiago Almada is also in the 34-man roster and there is a maiden call-up for Facundo Farías.
