Those were the surprising words of Argentina manager Gerardo Martino when quizzed on his captain and the suggestion that he might be ready to take a backseat with La Albiceleste.

Martino was speaking with Fox Sports and their show ’90 Minutos de Fútbol’ when he said:

“If I were in Messi’s place I would have stopped playing with the national team a long time ago, but I would keep playing for Barcelona.”

This was the response to the four-time Ballon D’or winner taking the brunt of criticism for Argentina’s Copa América final defeat. It was the second international final in a year that Messi and Argentina have failed to perform and the critics immediately leap on the point that Messi has not reproduced his form with Barcelona, where he has won every possible trophy.

It is an odd position to take for the Argentina manager, given that it could give strength to the rumours that Messi would quit international football but the 52-year-old former Barcelona manager was quick to pour water on the criticism: “To speak about the criticism of Messi is to give strength to something that does not deserve any type of analysis.”

At the very least, reports suggested that Messi would not be available for Argentina’s forthcoming friendly against Mexico on September 8th in Arlington, Texas.

However, Martino denied this and resolutely said: “It has not come from his mouth, nor my mouth, nor the mouth of the Argentine FA president that Messi was going to take a rest from the national team.

“I am going to call up Messi, but I am not sure he will be there. It would be very frustrating, although it would be understandable if Messi did not come with the national team.”

Martino is due to name his next squad in the next week and it will be interesting to see not only if Messi accepts the call but also which other changes Argentina might make following the Copa América disappointment.