Lionel Messi to play through the pain? Inter Miami boss suggests Argentina superstar may be forced into action in Hong Kong friendly despite injury concern

The Argentine superstar made a brief appearance in the 6-0 friendly defeat to Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia as he is believed to be carrying a hamstring injury. The 2022 World Cup winner is far from being match-fit and his condition will be assessed in training on Saturday to determine his readiness for the next match.

Speaking to reporters, Martino said: "We had two very intense games (in Saudi Arabia this week), two more we have played in El Salvador and Dallas. We have to observe the physical situation of each of our players, but we expect that Leo will play as much time as possible.

"We will assess each of the players in training because we have been playing a lot of pre-season games. The aspiration is that Leo can play as many minutes as possible. We will determine how long he can play depending on what happens in training tomorrow. But he will most certainly be on the pitch."

Messi mania has already gripped Hong Kong as fans have been going wild to catch a glimpse of the record Ballon d'Or winner following his arrival from Riyadh. Excited fans swarmed the hotel that Inter Miami players are staying in and a traditional junk boat was spotted hovering close to Victoria Harbour with giant Messi-inspired sails on its masts.

Inter Miami will hold an open training session at Hong Kong Stadium on Saturday afternoon, where fans will throng to the stands to catch a glimpse of Messi. They will also get to watch former Liverpool and Barcelona star Luis Suarez along with Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.

After playing in Hong Kong, Messi & Co. will fly to Japan to lock horns with Vissel Kobe on Tuesday before concluding their globe-trotting pre-season tour. The MLS season in the United States is set to kick off on February 21 with the Herons set to start their campaign with a clash against Real Salt Lake.