Lionel Messi starts Inter Miami’s first match after ankle injury during Copa America final

Lionel Messi will be a starter for Inter Miami for the first time in three months when they take on Philadelphia Union on Saturday night.

The Argentine star has not played for Inter Miami since June 1 and has been out of action since suffering an ankle ligament injury in the Copa América final when Argentina beat Colombia on July 14. He was also left out of the national team squad for their 3-0 win over Chile and 2-1 loss to Colombia in last week’s World Cup qualifiers.

Messi has been training and head coach Tata Martino said on Friday that Messi would be involved, but he was not yet sure whether he would start or come on as a substitute.

Martino said in late August that Messi would return before the start of the MLS playoffs on Oct. 23, but could not give a definitive date at the time.

In Messi’s absence, Inter Miami have gone 10-3-1 in all competitions, but were eliminated in the round of 16 of the Leagues Cup by Columbus Crew, ending their hopes of winning the tournament for a second consecutive season.

Inter Miami currently leads MLS with 59 points and an 18-4-5 record. They are the only team to secure a playoff spot and lead Los Angeles Galaxy by seven points in the race for the Supporters’ Shield.

“To bring back the best player in the world to our team, which had already had a good period, so we are all very happy with this situation,” said Martino.