Inter Miami manager Guillermo Hoyos says he will hold talks with Lionel Messi to decide when the Argentina captain will return to official club action after the 2026 World Cup.
Messi and team-mate Rodrigo De Paul resumed training with Inter Miami this week after being given several days off following the World Cup final against Spain in New Jersey on 19 July.
The pair missed Inter Miami’s MLS matches against Chicago Fire and CF Montreal while on that short period of rest. Hoyos said the club had already discussed Messi’s return, but that no formal meeting had yet taken place.
“We have been talking about this, but he has just returned and we have not yet had the opportunity to have an official conversation,” Hoyos said on Friday, according to ESPN. “We are very happy to have them back at the club, and it is great to see them here.”
Messi played a central role in Argentina’s run to the World Cup final for a second successive tournament. He scored eight goals and provided four assists during the competition, before completing all 120 minutes of the final against Spain.
De Paul featured for 70 minutes in the final. Both players then took time away from the club before rejoining their Inter Miami team-mates in training this week.
Inter Miami are due to host Columbus Crew at Nu Stadium on Saturday. They will then turn their attention to the Leagues Cup, beginning with a match against Atletico de San Luis on 5 August.
The club won the Leagues Cup in 2023 and reached the final in 2025, when they were beaten by Seattle Sounders.
With matches in MLS and the Leagues Cup scheduled in quick succession, Hoyos expressed concern about the demands that will be placed on his squad over the coming weeks.
“I think it is extremely difficult because of the huge number of matches; there will be a real accumulation of games over several weeks, leaving very little time to catch your breath or rest,” he said.
The Inter Miami manager said the current sequence required players to move almost immediately from one fixture to the next, with only limited recovery time between matches.
“The approach at the moment is: a match, then another match, then rest, then another match, and so on,” Hoyos added. “It is complicated. The match load is heavy and takes its physical toll, while the competition itself is also extremely demanding.”
That schedule will be a key factor in determining when Messi makes his next competitive appearance for Inter Miami. His return to training has welcomed him back into the squad, but the club will first assess his condition and discuss the timing of his involvement in the upcoming fixtures.
