It’s been all Luis Suarez, all the time since the striker underwent surgery to repair damage to his lateral meniscus in his left knee just over two weeks ago. With fitness predictions and return dates varying wildly despite a lack of real information, there’s always been one thing that has remained constant: his unwavering insistence that he’ll be fit to take part at the World Cup.
“Emotionally, I’ve felt fine; psychologically, I’ve been spectacular. At no time did I feel pressured, at no time have I felt sad because at no point did I think there was a chance of me missing the World Cup,” he told Sid Lowe in a revealing interview in the Guardian. “The thought never went through my mind. I could have really cried because of this injury but I didn’t because I knew. I knew. When the doctor first spoke to me three little tears fell but no more. My wife said: ‘I can’t believe how strong you’re being’ but I knew I’d make it.”
With reports coming out of Uruguay suggesting that he’s progressing well, it’s starting to sound like his belief will pay off — but an actual return date remains a mystery, and though the striker is keen to face England in La Celeste’s second Group Stage match, he’s not about to make any promises quite yet. “What you don’t know is how the knee will react,” explained the Liverpool forward. “Today, I could say to you: ‘Yeah, I’ll make it to the first game’. Or: ‘No, I prefer to wait for the second or the third’.
That, as he goes on to say, all depends on how things pan out. “But you only know for sure as you progress and you see how the knee reacts” he continued. “You can reach the 20th day and think: ‘I’m flying here’ but then that day your knee swells up and everything slows down.” That is, of course, what both Uruguay and Liverpool fans alike are concerned about. Rushing him back too soon can have both the obvious short-term, but also long-term effects should the injury recur.
For now though, everyone involved has to stay positive. It’s not like the club could stop Suarez from participating anyway. We know how he is — if he’s even remotely fit, hell or high water wouldn’t be able to stop him from getting out there.
