MONTEVIDEO: Luis Suarez could miss the World Cup finals after suffering a knee injury in training with Uruguay writes KEIR RADNEDGE.

The Liverpool top scorer’s absence would be a major blow to the Celeste who already face a tough group challenge in Brazil next month against England, Italy and Costa Rica.

Suarez arrived in Uruguay on Mondayc and trained at the Uruguayan camp in Salta on Tuesday. He missed training yesterday then underwent an MRI scan last night with the prospect of surgery later today.

However national team coordinator Roberto Pastoriza, insisted: “According to the report I received a while ago, we remain optimistic that Luis Suarez will be able to play at the World Cup.”

Pastoriza said that the crisis had erupted “so fast” and “was a surprise to us all.” He added: “Suarez felt something in training and decided to have a scan. The last I heard was that they were deciding what to do, but the chances are very high that surgery would be needed.”

Opening game

The fastest recorded recoveries of players from arthroscopic knee surgery is never less than two weeks and Uruguay’s opening game against Costa Rica is just over two weeks away.

On that basis, assuming the cartilage problem is straightforward, Suarez could miss the Costa Rica game so as to concentrating on facing England in what could be the most important of Uruguay’s group games.

Suarez won the ESM Golden Boot as joint leading scorer – with Cristiano Ronaldo – in European league football this past season with 31 goals apiece.

His total was nine goals more than the second-best marksman in the Premier League, Liverpool team-mate Daniel Sturridge.

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