'Leo is older than before. If he is good enough, he will play': Koeman speaks on rotating Messi

Koeman says that Messi still wants to play every game despite his age and the caoch reveals that Leo trains very hard and is engaged with the team.

"How do I deal with rotating Leo Messi? In theory, it’s the same for every player. If he is fit to play and good enough, then he will. But, of course, Leo is older than before, although he’s a player who still wants to be in games, and especially to win them," Ronald Koeman has told Barcelona's official website.

"He trains hard every day. He’s very engaged. As I coach I like to speak to my players, and I also speak to Leo about this and other things because he’s also team captain. There are squad matters, rules, and we speak about a lot of things, not just the way we play. That’s part of a coach’s day-to-day, you need to be in communication with your players."

So far this term, Messi has played 1,574 minutes across 18 matches for Barcelona. Leo missed two games in the Champions League, started from the bench in the game against Real Betis and played full 90 minutes in the remaining clashes.