Inter Miami's boss has made a big Lionel Messi admission after the side missed the opportunity to bag another trophy on Thursday morning as the Argentine watched from the sidelines.
The Miami club suffered a 2-1 defeat to Houston Dynamo in the final of the US Open Cup as fans who paid big money to attend the tie left disappointed as Messi once again failed to make it on to the pitch.
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The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner has now missed four of his side's past five games. The 36-year-old did appear in a clash against Toronto FC on 21 September, but was forced to withdraw himself from the game after 30 minutes.
With Inter Miami having now tasted defeat in the US Open Cup decider, head coach Tata Martino has admitted that he did not think of risking Messi for even a few minutes of the tie, despite the grand occasion and opportunity to claim a second trophy in less than two months.
"It wasn't prudent for him to play, not even to consider him for a few minutes," Martino said after the final, as per the Daily Mail.
"We will go match-by-match and see where the medical department can give us the okay."
The Argentine's absence from the side since reporting back from international duty is said to be due to a leg injury stemming from a previous scar tissue problem.
Messi's former Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba was also absent from Miami's final defeat, with the side's manager pointing out that missing key players contributed to the loss.
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"Today, I saw a worn-out and tired team," Martino added.
"We were also limited by the injuries, so our performance was affected by those circumstances."
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