Lionel Messi has handed Paris Saint-Germain an untimely injury headache, with the Ligue 1 giants revealing that the Argentine forward has undergone a scan on a knee problem.
The six-time Ballon d'Or winner was surprisingly taken off in his latest appearance against Lyon, with Mauricio Pochettino having to fend off plenty of questions as to why the all-time great was withdrawn.
There were suggestions at the time that the 34-year-old Argentine had taken a slight knock, with that now confirmed by PSG ahead of their midweek outing against Metz.
What has been said?
In a fitness update on the club's official website, PSG said: "Lionel Messi, who took a knock to his left knee against Lyon, underwent an MRI on Tuesday morning which confirmed signs of bruising of the bone.
"A follow-up examination will be carried out in 48 hours."
Next Match
With Messi now being rested in a bid to prevent him from suffering any further damage, he will not figure in a meeting with Metz on Wednesday.
How has Messi fared at PSG?
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A stunning deal took the South American superstar to Parc des Princes from Barcelona over the summer, with his contract at Camp Nou expiring.
Big things were expected of him in France, especially as he was linking up with former Blaugrana team-mate Neymar and World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe.
They are, however, yet to fire as a trio and Messi continues to see his progress in Paris stunted.
He was eased into the PSG fold on the back of Copa America-winning exploits with Argentina, with just 24 minutes of game time seen before the September international break.
Messi now has just 166 more to his name, across Champions League and Ligue 1 outings, and continues to wait on his first goal for new employers.
Who else is missing for PSG?
Pochettino saw his side battle their way to a dramatic 2-1 win over Lyon last time out and he will shuffle his pack against Metz.
Marco Verratti is edging his way back into contention from a knee injury that has forced the Euro 2020 winner to sit out four games so far.
The Italian midfielder is running again in training, but Ismael Ghabri continues to work on his own.
Spanish centre-half Sergio Ramos, who is still waiting on his PSG debut, is another working away from the main group as the 35-year-old seeks to shake off a niggling calf complaint.