Impossible to replace injured Messi, admits Barca boss
Luis Enrique will somehow have to make do with just Luis Suarez and Neymar up front
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique admitted it is impossible to replace Lionel Messi as the European champions face up to living without the four-time World Player of the Year for up to eight weeks.
Messi suffered a tear in the medial collateral ligament of his left knee during Saturday’s 2-1 win over Las Palmas and looks set to miss Barca’s next eight games.
“Thank you all for your supportive messages. For anyone who loves football, the hardest thing is not to be on the pitch. Now it’s time to recover properly to come back,” Messi posted on his official Facebook page on Monday.
“A player like Leo is irreplaceable,” Luis Enrique said on Monday ahead of his side’s return to Champions League action at home to Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday.
It is a challenge for us to be without the best player in the world, but it also provides an incentive for us
“In pre-season none of Leo, Neymar or [Luis] Suarez played, but our idea of how to play didn’t change. It is a challenge for us to be without the best player in the world, but it also provides an incentive for us.”