Barcelona manager, Ernesto Valverde has revealed that Lionel Messi has a “small problem” ahead of this weekend’s LaLiga clash against Sevilla.
However, the Argentine maestro has been included in the squad for the fixture.
Messi missed Argentina’s matches against Italy and Spain during the international break and returned to Barcelona for tests earlier this week.
The Catalan club’s medical team gave him the green light to take part in training on Thursday and Friday, but Valverde revealed the forward still has a minor problem.
Valverde will now have to decide whether to risk him from the start against Sevilla or leave him on the bench with Wednesday’s Champions League game against Roma in mind.
“We’re taking care of Messi, just as Argentina did, but we will have to wait before deciding [whether to start him]
“He [still] has a small problem and we have to avoid making it worse. I would like it if he didn’t have any problems, but it’s normal at this stage of the season,” Valverde told a news conference on Friday.
Asked if Messi’s fitness issues were keeping him up at night, Valverde added: “I’m like any manager would be when they have an important player with a knock. You can imagine!”