Messi again missed Argentina’s Thursday training session ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final against France.

Messi is understood to have been below 100 per cent all winter – making his return of five goals and three assists all the more impressive – but in the semi-final win over Croatia, it was seen His heart was in his mouth as he tightened his hamstring.

Messi still played the full 90 minutes and was again a regular, but he did not participate in the team’s opening training session on Thursday.

As Solskjaer pointed out, the media were allowed to observe 15 minutes of La Albiceleste training and there was no sign of Messi during that time, although it is unclear whether he returned to training after the cameras left.

Messi is believed to have been training in the gym alongside Rodrygo De Paul and Emiliano Martinez, missing striker Sergio Aguero wearing his boots and taking part in a light workout.

Aguero was forced to retire after a heart attack was discovered at the end of 2021, but he has been part of Lionel Scaloni’s behind-the-scenes team in Qatar and jumped at the chance to get involved on Thursday.

As for Messi, he is not believed to have any real concerns going into the final, with Argentina’s medical staff regularly pulling the veteran out of training to manage his load during a busy World Cup campaign.