Injuries have proved a roadblock this season for Argentine superstar Lionel Messi; however, having missed only one of the club’s 11 matches in 2016, the 28-year-old appeared to be past the fitness hiccups.
Regardless, SPORT recently reported that having missed Monday’s training ahead of their Copa del Rey 2nd leg semi-final clash with Valenca, the Barcelona forward was given time off to undergo a “minor operation” on Tuesday to correct the kidney problem that kept him out of the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final.
However, with the Blaugrana gearing up for Wednesday’s trip to the Mestalla Stadium, Goal report that a source close to the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has denied that Leo will undergo an operation.
The source told Goal: "These reports of surgery are far from the truth. He will just undergo some tests and treatment because of the renal pain."
This claim by the source was also echoed in a recent statement by the reigning Liga BBVA holders, announcing that while Messi is set to take tests “several tests” to assess the current status of his kidney issue, there was no mention of a surgery of any sort.
"FC Barcelona striker Lionel Messi will undergo several tests on Monday and Tuesday to assess the evolution of the kidney problems he suffered last December. Messi will return to his normal duties with the first team on Wednesday," Barcelona wrote on their official website.
Should La Pulga return to training on Wednesday, it remains to be seen whether he will play any part in the clash with Gary Neville’s boys on that exact same day.
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However, with the Catalan giants boasting a commanding 7-0 lead from the first-leg, manager Luis Enrique may take this golden opportunity to hand their all-time leading scorer rest.
Undefeated in 2016, the Camp Nou side have been in excellent form this year, having won 10 and drawn 1 of their 11 matches in all competitions since the new year.
The club have also found the back of the net a staggering 34 times, with 11 of those goals coming courtesy of Messi.
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