Just when Inter Miami fans end up losing faith, fate has its own way to bring a smile back on their faces. Since the beginning of this month, Lionel Messi gave a major scare to his ardent supporters after he was forced off the pitch due to injury during the second group stage clash of the Leagues Cup against Necaxa. It only saw Javier Mascherano and Co. play without him for the next couple of matches, making everyone seem like La Pulga is out for the long haul.

Not to mention how the past few days have been quite tough on the Herons, who endured a poor 4-1 defeat to Orlando City in their regular-season MLS away fixture. Topping it off with a hectic schedule of balancing both the domestic league and the Leagues Cup tournament, where they are in contention to play the quarterfinals.

However, fear not, Miami fans! There is a positive update regarding Lionel Messi. The Argentinian superstar was spotted back in training. Not alone, but in fact, with the whole group. A recent Instagram post from Inter Miami shared a carousel of a few players in action, with the 37-year-old also present in the mix.

Having spent several days training separately from the group in order to regain fitness, Leo Messi was seen taking part in the full training session with his other teammates. Courtesy of a small training session glimpse shared by SEVEN MASTERS on YouTube, the former FC Barcelona figure seemed normal, showcasing no signs of training with caution.

While his return is indeed a positive sign for Inter Miami, eyebrows are still being raised over the surprising absence of Rodrigo De Paul, who wasn’t present at the session. Though this presents concerns regarding the Atletico Madrid man’s fitness, one should wait for an official update before jumping to conclusions.

Things have been quiet on and off for Inter Miami. The Fort Lauderdale side is gearing up for its regular-season MLS fixture against Western Conference bottom side LA Galaxy this coming weekend. Mascherano and Co. are sitting in fifth place on the Eastern Conference with a tally of 42 points. On the other hand, the Galaxy is lying in the bottom spot of the Western Conference with a mere 16 points.

Though it may seem things would be easy for Inter Miami, they shall take their opponents seriously. Not to mention, this is a home game at Chase Stadium. Then again, this also raises the concern of whether Messi will earn a place in the starting XI, especially considering he has just returned from injury.

Our guess is that he may start as a subsitute. Heck, the 8X Ballon d’Or winner might not even play. That’s because after the LA Galaxy clash, they have a crucial Leagues Cup quarterfinal against Tigres UANL. Perhaps Mascherano might decide to give Messi some rest for Saturday’s game and then go for Wednesday’s tournament clash. After all, his fitness is the top priority for the pink side. On that note, even his national team decided to make a huge sacrifice due to his injury.

Argentina is set to make a huge change just for Lionel Messi!

The international break will once again pop up at the beginning of next month. Though Argentina is already qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, they are still bound to play the final World Cup qualifier clashes against Venezuela on September 4, followed by Ecuador on September 9. Given how there was a doubt regarding the presence of Messi due to his hamstring injury, Lionel Scaloni had already prepared in his mind to gear up for these international fixtures without his presence.

Though an argument looms now that he has allegedly returned to training, the 2022 World Cup winner may reunite with his national teammates. However, that won’t be the case, as there remains a chance for Inter Miami to potentially object to making any travel for La Albiceleste service. Hence, Scaloni and Co. shall look out for themselves just for this window. In the meantime, all eyes are on Lionel Messi’s return.