Contrary to initial reports, Lionel Messi's muscular injury on his hamstring seems more serious than previously anticipated. The Argentine had already missed the game against Bolivia during the international break and arrived back to Miami with an inch-wide muscle tear.

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Coach Gerardo 'Tata' Martino allowed Leo Messi to return to practice but he was always on his own this Tuesday. After the training session, 'Tata' was supposed to appease folks who were worried about their star but he did the exact opposite. It had already been reported that Messi was carrying pain from the scar of an old injury. According to Martino, this scar may open up again if they force the player and create a much worse problem.

Here's what Martino told reporters just before Tuesday's training session: "In Messi's case, it is what we've been saying over the last few days. We will see if he doesn't face any type of danger during training and we will evaluate if making the trip is convenient for him. He should already start training with the team. It could be today or tomorrow (it was today). The issue is that the game is tomorrow. Maybe he could do today's warm up first but he will only perform a training based on the needs he has today. The team will perform a much milder training session based on the way they have been training as of late. Leo is closer to a normal day of training and that's why we will evaluate him on a day-to-day basis."

Martino warns about Messi's scar

But according to Martino, there is still some danger with that scar from an old injury that may aggravate the situation. He added: The scar is what puts him at risk of a new muscle tear and then we would face a much more serious problem. It's in his hamstring. Evidently, he will be okay for his club if he is okay for his national team. Leo's commitment with his national teamm is out of discussion. It was something he acknowledged beforehand. the club knew this because now we even have 12 call-ups and it's not only with him, it's with the rest of the players." 'Tata' also attempted to calm those neves a little bit by stating he didn't know for certain how long it may take Messi to fully recover.

Remember Apple TV+ has all of Leo Messi's games with Inter Miami through the MLS Season Pass