Lionel Messi has stressed that Neymar would be a big
loss for Barcelona after the Brazilian sprained his
ankle in the 2-0 Copa del Rey win over Getafe on
Thursday.
The 21-year-old fell awkwardly early in the Catalans'
6-0 aggregate victory over the Madrid club and was
assisted off the pitch by medical staff, visibly in a lot
of pain.
Coach Gerard Martino said afterwards that Neymar
"won't be playing for a while" , and Messi, who has
only just returned from a lengthy spell on the
sidelines himself, is hoping that the Selecao star can
return to action swiftly.
"What happened to Neymar is a real shame," the 26-
year-old told reporters. "Tomorrow there will be more
tests.
"We hope it's nothing bad, we need him, he's
important for the team."
Neymar's injury woes shifted the limelight away from
Messi in Thursday's win, with the Argentine scoring
his third and fourth goals of 2014 in the second-leg
last-16 encounter - the second of which came after a
brilliant solo run.
Messi, however, thinks he is still some way off the
pace as he continues his comeback from six weeks
out of action.
"I feel good, but I still lack that little extra," he added.
"I need some more playing time to catch the rhythm
and be at my best."
Barca now have three games with Levante on the
horizon - first on Sunday in La Liga, then twice in
consecutive midweeks in the Copa del Rey quarter-
finals.