Fabregas urges Messi to take time over recovery

Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas has urged Lionel Messi not to try and rush his recovery after the Argentina superstar suffered another hamstring injury during the victory at Real Betis.

Messi limped off after 21 minutes of Sunday’s 4-1 win after injuring his right hamstring and he will undergo further tests on Monday to determine the extent of the problem.

The world player of the year has suffered from hamstring issues in the past, including twice already this season having also damaged the right one at the end of September and then the left one in the first leg of the Spanish Super Copa.

And Fabregas, who experienced similar problems while at Arsenal, has advised Messi to have patience as he looks to get back to full fitness.

“He needs to take as much time as he needs, to recover and get back to his level. We need him at his best,” said Fabregas, who scored two second-half goals in the win over Betis.

“I had something similar at Arsenal. You think you’re ok, but you’re not.

“I had this injury, I wasn’t right for up to a year and half, it’s a really frustrating injury. You need to take whatever time you need because if you don’t it won’t heal properly,” the Spain international told Canal Plus.