Report: Messi playing through thigh pain as Barcelona battle injuries

Lionel Messi is playing through persistent thigh pain to help Barcelona deal with a shortage of forwards, sources told ESPN FC's Moises Llorens and Sam Marsden.

Messi has reportedly been dealing with the issue for several weeks, but it's not considered a significant problem.

Barcelona manager Quique Setien only has three fit forwards at his disposal: Messi, Antoine Griezmann, and 17-year-old phenom Ansu Fati. Star striker Luis Suarez is out until May with a knee injury and Ousmane Dembele is still recovering from a hamstring tear.

The club opted against signing a replacement for Suarez in the January transfer window.

Messi is expected to continue playing through the pain when the Champions League resumes later in February. Barcelona travel to Napoli for the first leg of their last-16 clash on Feb. 25.

The 32-year-old has missed just two games since sitting out the first few weeks of the season with a calf strain: a 2-0 win over Getafe in September and a 2-1 January result in Ibiza.

Messi's thigh issue is yet to have an impact on his performance. He assisted both of Barcelona's goals in Sunday's 2-1 victory over Levante.