Lionel Messi was one of three first-team players to sit out training at Barcelona on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s highly anticipated trip to Atletico Madrid in La Liga.
Messi was permitted by Blaugrana boss Ronald Koeman to sit out the training session alongside teammates Frenkie de Jong and Miralem Pjanic, as per Diario AS.
That is reportedly due to the fact the Argentine star did not return from international duty until Wednesday evening and it was decided that it would be beneficial for him to sit out today’s session.
Messi’s return through the airport in the Catalan capital on Wednesday came into the headlines when he proclaimed to reporters: “I’m tired of always being the problem for everything at the club.”
‼️⚽️ Leo Messi, a su llegada a Barcelona, preguntado por las declaraciones del tío de Antoine Griezmann
🗣️ “Estoy un poco cansado de ser el problema de todo en el club”pic.twitter.com/tiaVi81D4D
— El Larguero (@ellarguero) November 18, 2020
Barcelona news had been dominated by Messi’s demands to leave the club in the close-season and his future at the club beyond this current campaign is now unclear.
However, he – along with Pjanic and De Jong – are still expected to return to training on Friday and will be fit for the trip to Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday.
