Romano CONFIRMS Messi's shock Barcelona reunion

Tom Weber

• Updated: 22 Nov 2024 15:18 GMT
• 3 min read

Lionel Messi is set to be reunited with Javier Mascherano at Inter Miami, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The MLS franchise have surprisingly had to look for a new head coach. After winning the Supporters' Shield as the best team over the course of the regular season, Inter Miami crashed out of the playoffs against Atlanta United at the first hurdle and boss Tata Martino handed in his shock resignation.

Martino, himself formerly the coach of Atlanta United, had managed to turn Inter Miami from MLS also-rans into one of the best teams in the league in the space of a little over a year, helped, of course, by Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.

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Yet despite the exit of the former Barcelona tactician, the Blaugrana contingent in Fort Lauderdale is not getting smaller. That is because another man with Barcelona ties is set to take the reins at David Beckham's club.

Inter Miami hire Mascherano

According to Cesar Luis Merlo and since confirmed by Fabrizio Romano, Inter Miami are set to appoint Javier Mascherano as their new head coach. The 40-year-old had been in charge of Argentina's U20s and coached the national side at the Olympics in Paris this summer.

The former Liverpool midfielder played with Messi at the national team level and at Barcelona, where he also featured alongside the rest of Miami's former LaLiga stars.

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Mascherano has already given the green light to the move, with only the final details yet to be ironed out. Previously, Spanish media claimed that former Barcelona boss Xavi, another ex-Messi teammate, was also under consideration, but he is not yet ready to return to management.

Mascherano will be Inter Miami's fourth permanent head coach since the club's inaugural MLS season in 2020.