Inter Miami will have to learn to win without Lionel Messi.

That's the warning head coach Tata Martino provided to his players following their 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night.

Messi made his official MLS debut in the process, but only came on as a substitute in the 60th minute as he sealed the win with a tap-in after delivering a sensational pre-assist.

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Why didn't he start? Martino revealed the World Cup winner was “reaching an important physical limit” and needed to be managed accordingly.

Given the role Messi has played in turning Miami's season around and helping them win the Leagues Cup — providing 11 goals and six assists in nine games so far — it's only natural that he'll need some rest, especially at 36 years of age. But it's not only rest that will keep Messi out of the team at times.

International duty with Argentina still beckons for the former Barcelona star this season, with Martino revealing he could miss at least three MLS games as a result. The onus, as a result, is on the rest of the team to deliver in his absence.

“The importance is that we value winning and winning this way because it's something we have to get accustomed to. Leo is gonna miss at least three games,” Martino said (via USA Today). “He's gonna get called up by his national team and others too. We know that the team has to continue to win without them at times.”

It's not clear which exact games Messi will miss.

Inter face Nashville SC on Wednesday in what will be a rematch of the Leagues Cup final. They then travel to play Los Angeles FC on Sept. 3, play Kansas City at home on Sept. 9 before going away to Atlanta United on Sept. 16.

There's a possibility Messi misses any of those four games due to World Cup qualifiers as Argentina face Ecuador and Bolivia on Sept. 7 and Sept. 12 respectively. The home encounter against Kansas City at the very least looks guaranteed to be without Messi.

If Messi ends up missing the other MLS games, it'll represent a significant blow for fans who paid for tickets to watch the greatest footballer of all time.