This archive report was first published on 16 September 2019.
Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has resumed training with the team after a six-week absence due to a persistent thigh problem.
According to coach Ernesto Valverde, Messi's return to training was initially expected to be a short-term absence, but the Argentine's condition worsened, and he was forced to take extra precautions.
"It looked like it was just going to be a small period he would be out for at first," Valverde said on Saturday. "Apparently his scar opened a little bit so it’s told us we need to exercise a little bit of caution."
Valverde expressed confidence that Messi would return to full fitness soon, but emphasized the importance of caution to avoid any further setbacks.
"I don’t think it’s long until he’ll be back again. Tuesday I don’t know, probably later," Valverde said.
Barcelona returned to winning ways in La Liga on Saturday evening, defeating Valencia 5-2 in a match that Messi watched from the sidelines.
Teenage wonderkid Anssumane Fati opened the scoring, followed by goals from Frenkie De Jong, Gerard Pique, and Luis Suarez, who scored a brace.
