Rabat - FC Barcelona’s Coach Luis Enrique decided to let Lionel Messi skip the pre-season preparations in the United States, saying “he needs to rest” after a busy season.
Speaking to the media in Los Angelos on Sunday, the Barcelona Coach said he decided to grant Messi a certain number of days of vocation to enable him to recover from a season that is seemed “eternal”.
"Messi's season is almost never-ending and he needs to rest. Messi isn't in the USA because he needs a holiday and I'm not going to change that no matter what commitments there are on tour,” Luis Enrique said.
Messi is believed to have played more than almost any other player in European football last season. Statistics say the 28-year old played in the over 5,500 minute -more than 90 hours- last season.
Messi is not the only Barcelona star who that was left out of the US pre-season tour. Neymar, Dani Alves, Javier Mascherano and Claudio Bravo are also benefiting from an extended break.
The Catalans giants arrived to Los Angelos on Sunday to begin preparations for a three-match tour. The tour will open with Los Angelos Galaxy at the Rose Bowl on Tuesday.
Barca is expected to play its second match Manchester United on Saturday, and finish its tour with a match against FC Chelsea on July 28 in Washington DC.
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