With the return of La Liga being right around the corner, Barcelona fans have been worried over the fitness of their captain. The club has now spoken publicly regarding this matter.

With the return of La Liga drawing ever closer, all eyes are on Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi. What began as excitement over the prospect of seeing the six-time Ballon d’Or winner back on a football pitch quickly turned into worry as reports claiming the Argentine is injured emerged.

Speculation surrounding the 31-year-old fitness varies, with some outlets claiming this to be a minor issue while others reported it to be a serious injury. Leo was forced to skip training for a second straight time, this time sitting out Friday’s session. The Blaugrana have now come out and addressed this issue in an official statement.

The Catalan giants have confirmed that their talisman striker picked up an injury. The club revealed via their official website that their all-time leading scorer is suffering from minor right quadriceps injury. However, Messi is doing training but in isolation, “doing specific exercises to avoid unnecessary risks”. Additionally, they added that their skipper should be able to rejoin the rest of the group in “a few days’ time”.

This will be music to the ears of Barcelona fans. The Spanish giants are expected back in action in less than 10 days, with the club resuming their title defense away to Mallorca on June 13. Setien’s side boast a slim two-point advantage over second-placed Real Madrid and could do without the absence of their captain.

Despite the injury he suffered at the beginning of the season and his four-game goalless streak in La Liga from late January to mid-February, the Argentine is the league’s top scorer with 19 goals. Messi has contributed to 30 goals this season, scoring 24 and assisting 16 despite the club’s bumpy campaign and will be eager to be back and running once play resumes in the Spanish top-flight.