Edison Azcona has disclosed that, as part of their efforts to safeguard Lionel Messi from potential injuries, Inter Miami occasionally refrains from including him in training matches.
The MLS team is elated to have the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner as part of their squad and witnessed his influence in securing a historic Leagues Cup victory shortly after his arrival in the United States.
However, Messi has encountered a minor injury that ruled him out of the U.S. Open Cup final and hampered his participation in the late-season push to secure a playoff spot.
Inter Miami are aware of the need to handle Messi with care, with Azcona telling Infobae of how the all-time great is treated behind the scenes: “Everyone understands that we are not going to try to hurt him.
“One tries to defend, but they are a little more careful. We don’t let him play in the games we play among ourselves, we defend him, but with caution. Nobody gets into it very hard.”
It is not just in training that Inter Miami stars are changing their ways for Messi, with Dominican Republic international Azcona revealing that a number of players are learning a new language. He added: “I have not heard Leo speak English… Sometimes, he has said ‘good morning’ when he comes in, but those who speak English and do not know Spanish are learning to speak Spanish.”
Messi has scored 11 goals in 14 appearances for Inter Miami and has no plans to go out on loan in January, despite rumors of a potential return to Barcelona. His primary focus is to maintain peak physical condition for the commencement of the 2024 MLS season.