Tuesday 4 October 2016 17:25, UK
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi is concerned about his groin injury, according to Argentina manager Edgardo Bauza.
Messi has been sidelined since limping out of Barca's 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid on September 21, and has been left out of Bauza's squad to face Peru and Paraguay in upcoming 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 against Peru and Paraguay after suffering his most recent injury.
"Messi is worried about his injury," Bauza told TyC Sports. "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. We have to be careful together.
"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. I still say we should all take care of Messi. Here in Argentina he played only one game in three months."
Bauza also revealed Juventus forward Paulo Dybala is set to take Messi's place for the forthcoming matches, with Argentina third in the South American qualifying group after eight games.
"We don't have the best attacking player there is, so you have to put other options in to find that cutting edge," Bauza added. "Argentina can find it, because we have very good players.
"The idea is that Gonzalo Higuain, if he is fit, will play as the No 9 and Sergio Aguero will play behind him. Dybala could play instead of Messi on the right.
"Dybala can play Messi's role, given his position and numbers. Paulo is a player who can break the balance of the game."
