Lionel Messi at risk of ex-Premier League star surpassing his goal tally from incredible debut MLS season with Inter Miami
Former Premier League striker Billy Sharp is on track to outdo Lionel Messi's goal tally come the end of the regular MLS season.
The former Sheffield United star is off to a flying start in America's top-tier league, scoring six goals in as many appearances. Sharp's latest outing saw him bag a hat-trick as his club LA Galaxy completed a 4-3 victory against Minnesota United on Wednesday, September 20.
Since joining the American outfit from Sheffield United in August, the 37-year-old has averaged a goal per game in the MLS. Although Messi has recorded approximately 0.9 goals per game so far, the Argentine has netted just once in four MLS appearances so far.
All of Messi's other strikes were recorded in the Leagues Cup, which Inter Miami ended up winning in August. So Sharp could easily finish with a greater number of goals compared to the former Paris Saint-Germain forward.
If Messi scores 10 more times in the five remaining MLS games, he will finish with a goal tally of 11. Should that be the case, Sharp would need to find the back of the net six more times from LA Galaxy's remaining six regular season matches to out-perform the Argentina ace's goal tally.
Given the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner's current concerns with fatigue, Sharp is likely to finish with a greater number of strikes this season. The Englishman scored 60 times in 204 appearances across competitions for his previous employers Sheffield United.
"There is some sort of injury"- ESPN pundit disagrees with Gerardo Martino's claim on Lionel Messi's fitness
ESPN pundit Ale Moreno disagreed with Inter Miami coach Gerardo Martino's comments on Lionel Messi's fitness. The former Barcelona coach has clarified that the Argentina skipper was withdrawn in the first half of the Floridian outfit's MLS match against Toronto on Wednesday due to fatigue.
Messi was previously left out of Inter Miami's 5-2 defeat at the hands of Atlanta United on September 16 due to similar reasons (via Goal). However, Moreno believes otherwise and claims Messi could be nursing an injury.
Moreno said on the ESPN FC podcast:
"He’s calling it muscle fatigue, Tata Martino is. I call it there’s an issue here there is some sort of injury concern going on with Lionel Messi and that’s why he doesn’t make the trip to Atlanta that’s why he doesn’t go and play."
Messi himself confirmed that he was fatigued following his substitution in Argentina's 1-0 win against Ecuador on September 7. He then missed the second and final match of the recently concluded international break against Bolivia on September 12.
It remains to be seen whether the Barcelona legend is indeed carrying an injury.