Are Inter Miami overly dependent on Lionel Messi magic? Tata Martino explains trying to replace ‘the best player of all’ after another injury scare for Argentine superstar

The Herons saw their talismanic captain forced out of the second leg of a CONCACAF Champions Cup last-16 encounter with Nashville five minutes into the second half. Messi had already been among the goals prior to his early departure through injury, with another important contribution made in a 3-1 win and progress to the quarter-finals.

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Inter Miami are now waiting to discover the full extent of the injury picked up by Messi, with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner set to sit out an MLS clash with D.C. United in Washington on Saturday. Their only defeat so far this season, against Montreal, came when the Argentine superstar was rested.

Quizzed on whether his side have already become overly reliant on Messi following his stunning arrival in the summer of 2023, Martino said: “We are conscious that when the season started, because of different circumstances, Leo was not going to start in all these games, or play in all these games. But what I want to emphasise is that he has been a very important player for 15 years at Barcelona, a couple years at Paris Saint-Germain, and all the national team games of Argentina. Why would he not be for us? It is not just replacing a player, it’s replacing the best player of all. So what we have to do is readapt our game because of his loss, his exit. It’s one thing to adapt the game for his absence when it’s a game that we're planning on it. It’s different doing it 50 minutes into the game that we're still playing.”

Messi is nursing a muscle complaint in his right leg. After sitting out a meeting with D.C. United, the all-time great is due to be on international duty with Argentina when Inter Miami take in a trip to New York to face the Red Bulls on March 23, with it yet to be determined whether he will be available for a home date with New York City FC on March 30.