'Player who seems to stop time' - Javier Mascherano marvels at Leo Messi's ongoing impact for Inter Miami, with Argentine superstar at 22 goals for the season

Ahead of Wednesday’s visit to New York City FC, Mascherano spoke about the current form of his star forward as the MLS regular season nears its end.

“It’s hard to choose one version of Leo,” Mascherano said. “He’s a player who seems to stop time and continues making a difference game after game. If there’s something he has shown throughout his career, it’s the ability to constantly reinvent himself and add new things to his game, as if he ever needed to. We’re happy with the level he’s showing because, obviously, like any team in the world that has Messi, it depends on him.”

The Argentine coach also discussed fellow countryman Rodrigo De Paul, who, in Mascherano’s view, has completed his adaptation to the team.

“He’s already gone through the riskiest stretch, those first few games after finishing his previous season with little rest,” Mascherano said. “Now, after a month and a half and several matches, I think he’s adapted. Physically he looks good, so we’ll try to manage his minutes as best as we can with so many games coming up.”

Mascherano also addressed Luis Suárez, who served a three-game suspension following an incident in the Leagues Cup and could return to action on Wednesday.

“He’s been training well, as usual,” Mascherano noted. “Obviously Luis is a player who’s used to playing all the time, so I imagine he’s eager and anxious to get back on the field. We didn’t do anything specific with him during the suspension - he trained with the team the whole time. In a way, the break was good for him because he had been playing a lot of matches.”

Inter Miami head to Citi Field to face NYCFC in a key Eastern Conference matchup. The Herons, coming off a 3-2 win over D.C. United, currently sit fifth with 52 points, while NYCFC are just ahead with 53 points.