Lionel Messi's representatives have denied recent reports saying the player has fallen out with Barcelona.

The Argentina international is currently out for eight weeks, the third injury setback this season for the man who has won Ballon d'Or four times.

The past week has seen Spanish media reporting of issues between Barca and Messi, who is being treated by Argentine doctor Luis Garcia, who is not a Barcelona staff member, as Messi will be traveling to Argentina in December.

Messi's representatives released a statement which read:

"The process of recovery from the injury suffered last Sunday began on Monday. This injury, although of the same type and to the same leg, is not related to any previous ones.

"Being a player of the Asociacion de Futbol Argentino (AFA), and having games programmed with the national team, the licensed kinesiologist Dr Luis Garcia arrived yesterday in Barcelona to represent the national team, to monitor the injury, and to know the state and scope of the same.

"Barca's medical services, as always, are those who take charge of accompanying him and treating him, like any other player at the club in other occasions.

"So they will be supervising his injury during the whole process, including when Leo travels to Argentina during the Christmas period.

"We want to deny completely the information published in some media, and confirm the comments of different club figures.

"Juanjo Brau, a great professional who has been close to Messi for a long period of time in recent years, no longer works day-to-day with Leo because FC Barcelona promoted him professionally.

"His current responsibilities are co-ordinating the club's first team squad physios.

"There have been no professional or personal differences, nor a distancing outside of not being as close during their daily work."