Pochettino plays down talk of a rift with Messi following PSG substitution shock

Paris St Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino has played down talk of a rift with Lionel Messi as the Argentina superstar faces a battle to be fit for the Champions League clash with Manchester City.

The 34-year-old was replaced during the second half of Sunday's 2-1 Ligue 1 victory over Lyon and appeared to be less than happy with the decision.

Messi was taken off in the 76th minute and stared sharply at Pochettino when he was withdrawn, while he also appeared to refuse a handshake from his compatriot.

In addition to his furious glance, Messi also made a gesture with his hands apart indicating that he didn't understand the decision.

After the game PSG confirmed Messi had undergone a scan on his left knee and is awaiting a full assessment of the damage but Pochettino insisted there was no issue between the pair.

He told a press conference ahead of Wednesday night's trip to Metz: 'In order to explain, on the sidelines we observe all the players and everything that is happening during games. We saw that Leo Messi was checking his knee and made some gestures. We saw that when he took a shot.

'I was pleased with his performance. He did very well in the first half. I am pleased with his commitment and performance. All that was missing was a goal.

'In his 75 minutes on the pitch - as I have explained - with all the information that we had, we made the decision to substitute him.'

Messi's bemused reaction sparked something of a controversy, but Pochettino added: 'Of course all top players want to be on the pitch at all times, that is understandable. I am calm about it.'

The Argentine has been ruled out of PSG's Ligue 1 clash at Metz on Wednesday night because of the knock to his left knee.

PSG, who host City next week, had earlier issued a statement on the former Barcelona star's fitness.

The statement read: 'Lionel Messi, who took a knock to his left knee against Lyon, underwent an MRI on Tuesday morning which confirmed signs of bruising of the bone. A follow-up examination will be carried out in 48 hours.'

Messi has made three appearances for PSG so far, playing 190 minutes in total, but is still awaiting his first goal for the French side.

In other injury news, midfielder Marco Verratti is back in training, while Sergio Ramos is training individually as he steps up his recovery.

PSG are top of Ligue 1 having taken maximum points from their first six fixtures, but they left it late to beat Lyon 2-1 with Mauro Icardi scoring the winner in the third minute of stoppage time.