LIONEL MESSI, who fired in a hat-trick as Barcelona trounced Celtic 7-0 in the opening Champions League game, is concerned about his groin injury.
The Argentinian wizard has been sidelined since limping out the 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid on September 21 and has been left out of Edgardo Bauza’s squad to face Peru and Paraguay in the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner retired from international duty after Argentina’s penalty shoot-out defeat to Chile at Copa America in June, only to later reverse his decision.
But Bauza confirmed Messi was never in contention to feature in the qualifiers for Russia 2018 after suffering his most recent injury.
He said: “Messi is worried about his injury. He wants to play games and it’s difficult to be without him.
“We never toyed with the option of having him in this squad. Barcelona’s medical staff know perfectly what he has to do, I simply say that he has to look after himself.
“He’s now in the recovery process, which is good news. I think he’ll be at a good level when he returns.”
That could be bad news for Brendan Rodgers and the Hoops players with the Spanish giants due in Glasgow on November 23.
