MLS: When will Lionel Messi return from injury for Inter Miami?

Without Lionel Messi, Inter Miami are struggling to get results in a race against time.

With the Major League Soccer team embroiled in a furious chase for a playoff spot, Messi’s absence has left Inter Miami figuring out how to get results without arguably the best player in the world.

Inter Miami were humbled in the US Open Cup final without Messi, dominated by the Houston Dynamo after a 2-1 home defeat, failing to secure the trophy at the final hurdle.

Now Inter Miami’s medical staff are under pressure to get Messi back on the pitch for as many minutes as possible, knowing that any negative result could jeopardize their play-off run.

When will Lionel Messi return for Inter Miami?

We know very little about the injury suffered by Lionel Messi, so it is difficult to estimate when he will return to the pitch.

Inter Miami continue to insist that his injury is simply “muscular fatigue” and that Messi has no structural damage to overcome. But as the days pass and he loses more time, the facade seems less and less believable.

Head coach Gerardo Martino said before the U.S. Open Cup final that they would “wait until the last minute” to decide whether Messi would play, and he was ultimately not in the squad for the match.

“He wasn’t cleared to play,” Martino said after the Sept. 27 loss to Houston. “He wasn’t expected to play even a few minutes.

Martino insisted Messi will return to action sometime before the end of the regular season, which concludes on October 21 with a visit to Charlotte FC. However, Inter Miami’s standing in the standings relative to their final playoff position will likely affect how quickly they bring Messi back into action.

At this point, very little is known about when Messi might return to the pitch. However, it’s likely that even if he does return to action, his minutes will be handled with care and the myth on his body will be treated with extreme caution.