Ernesto Valverde Unsure on Lionel Messi's Return Date After Villarreal Injury

Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has said he is unsure how long Lionel Messi will be sidelined for following his latest injury issue.

During Tuesday's match with Villarreal, Messi picked up a knock to his thigh in the first period and received treatment on the field. At half-time, the forward didn't emerge, prompting further fears over his fitness following an injury-ravaged start to the campaign for the Argentina international.

Barcelona will play Getafe on Saturday, and Messi is unlikely to be ready to take part.

Speaking on the eve of the game, Valverde said he isn't entirely sure how long his star man will be unavailable for, per Sport:

"I don't know how long he will be sidelined. I hope he will be back soon. In principle, he doesn't have a serious injury, it's just a small strain. We have to wait and see how he is today and next week ... we will see how everything goes.

"If he's there, we have certain strengths, and if he's not, we lack a player who can destabilise the opposition. But we have the resources to manage different situations. We have done in the past. It's a setback, but we have to continue."

Messi was making his first competitive start of the season on Tuesday against Villarreal, so it would have been frustrating for him to suffer a fresh issue:

The Barcelona No. 10 was influential in the time he was on the field, though, as he was able to set up Antoine Griezmann's opening goal in the 2-1 victory:

In the latter stages of pre-season, the 32-year-old picked up a calf problem that's prevented him from featuring frequently for Barcelona. 

Without him, the team has struggled to find top gear, despite the big-money acquisitions of Griezmann and Frenkie de Jong.

Away from home, Barcelona have been particularly bad. Valverde has already watched his side slip to defeat against Athletic Bilbao and Granada on the road this season, while the Blaugrana could only manage a 2-2 draw at Osasuna and a 0-0 stalemate when visiting Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League.

Per ESPN FC, the issues away from the Camp Nou extend to the previous campaign:

To eradicate such an awful record, Barcelona will need leadership, composure and quality when they visit Getafe—attributes Messi has provided in spades down the years.

Valverde would have loved to have called on Messi, as his class has often elevated Barcelona to wins in these kinds of games. The temptation will be to get him back in the side as soon as possible, but after a couple of niggles early in the season, it's important time is taken for Messi to fully recover fitness.