Messi suffers double injury blow?

Lionel Messi could be Barcelona’s second Copa America casualty after the forward suffered a possible double injury in Argentina’s friendly against Honduras.

Messi took a blow to his rib on the hour mark of Argentina’s 1-0 victory on Friday and needed three minutes of treatment, before Tata Martino made the decision to replace him, the No 10 then seen wincing as he made his way to the dressing room.

According to the Argentine Football Association’s (AFA) latest medical report, Messi suffered “significant bruising to the bone and soft tissue on the last three ribs of his left rib cage and in the lumbar paraspinal area”.

The 28-year-old will return to Spain on Saturday for the start of his tax-fraud trial, before rejoining the national team in the US city of Santa Clara ahead of his country’s Copa America opener against Chile on June 7.

Uruguay are also sweating over Luis Suarez’s fitness after Barca’s No 9 sustained a thigh injury in the Copa del Rey final last weekend.

Tags Argentina Copa America friendly Honduras injury Lionel Messi
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