Argentina manager Edgardo Bauza has said that he is not sorry for comments he made last week that Barcelona are not taking care of Lionel Messi.
Messi was injured last week in Barcelona's 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid, and the club reported his torn right adductor muscle would take three weeks to heal.
Bauza was critical of the Catalan club for playing Messi in four games in 12 days despite a groin injury in his other leg that limited him earlier in the season, although the Argentina FA later apologised for Bauza's remark.
As Argentina prepare to play Peru and Paraguay in World Cup qualifying on Oct. 6 and 11, Bauza said it was not true that the Argentina FA (AFA) had communication with Barcelona over Messi's health or Bauza's comments.
"The AFA did not speak to Barcelona and Barcelona did not speak with the AFA," Bauza told ESPN Radio. "I am not sorry for what I said. I said that above all else, the players must be cared for. He [Messi] is a player who plays a lot of games over the course of the year. He is 29 and his recovery period is no longer the same. And he is the type of player who always wants to play."
Bauza acknowledged that Argentina will need to make adjustments without their star forward.
"Messi is impossible to replace because there is no one who plays like him," he said. "But Argentina have very good players. We are going to wait to see what happens between today and the time they all get here. There are players who can play in his place and even though they can't throw the opposing team off balance [as Messi does], they can still make a big difference and do great things."
Reports in Spain estimate that Messi could return to training on the field by Oct. 12 and possibly be ready to play again on Oct. 15 when Barcelona face Deportivo La Coruna.
Bauza said he estimated recovery time at just a little over a week.
"The MRI shows that he has inflammation in his adductor. I am estimated that the injury will take 10 days until he can play again," Bauza said. "We must wait until the swelling goes down."
Bauza said surgery was not always the remedy
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