Argentina Interim Boss Says Lionel Messi's International Future Is in Doubt

Argentina interim manager Lionel Scaloni said Lionel Messi's future with the national team "remains to be seen" after the Barcelona star pulled out of September's friendlies against Colombia and Guatemala. 

Messi will skip the international break, and Scaloni is unsure if he'll return to action for La Albiceleste.

Per Marca's Charly Siffredi, he said: 

"I spoke with him, but I'm not going to discuss what may happen in the future. We know what he means for us, but we'll have to see what happens.

"He will not be in this call-up, and later it remains to be seen. We spoke on good terms and we have a great relationship."

Scaloni added he will not make any demands of the No. 10: "There is no coach in the world who does not see what Messi brings. It would be imprudent of me to tell him to come or not."

Messi briefly retired from international football after the Copa America in 2016—in which Argentina were beaten finalists at a major tournament for the third year running—but reversed his decision little more than a month later.

He subsequently dragged the team almost singlehandedly through qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. After scraping through a group comprised of Croatia, Iceland and Nigeria, La Albiceleste lost 4-3 to eventual winners France in the last 16.

Messi did not hit the considerable heights he's capable of in Russia, but he did score one of the best goals of the tournament (UK viewers only):

Sports writer Andy West believes the forward is not necessarily looking to retire again at this stage, but rather he is hoping for the Argentinian FA to get its house in order before he returns to action:

As Goal's Dan Edwards noted, the AFA bore much of the responsibility for Argentina's failure in Russia:

The association has had four presidents since the start of 2014, and Scaloni is the fifth head coach it has had in that time, albeit he has not taken the position on a permanent basis.

It's possible Messi is also hoping to take the time to rest. His involvement at the World Cup ensured he had less time to prepare in pre-season than normal and he faces a long season ahead with Barcelona, so his time would be better served staying put than flying to the United States for two meaningless friendlies.

However, in case the star does make the decision to call time on his international career, Scaloni should take advantage of his absence to begin shaping an Argentina side without Messi, so there are plans in place for when he does hang up his boots.