Luis Suarez, the Uruguay star striker, took to Twitter on Saturday to pledge to his teammates and fans that he would make the Fifa World Cup despite having had knee surgery.
The Liverpool forward and Premier League’s Player of the Year required arthroscopic surgery to repair meniscus damage in his left knee after a training accident on Wednesday.
Suarez, 27, faces a race against time to be fit for the World Cup finals, which begin in Brazil in 19 days.
Suarez said he was confident of recovering in time, posting a message in Spanish and English on his Twitter page: “My dream remains intact, I’ll be there.”
The message was accompanied by a promotional video of Suarez alongside, among others, Argentina great Lionel Messi.
His country’s football chiefs are also upbeat about his availability, with Uruguay FA president Wilmar Valdez suggesting on Friday that, if Suarez’s recovery went to plan, he could return to training in just over two weeks.
Suarez had a brilliant season in England, his 31 goals lifting Liverpool into second place, pipped for the title by Manchester City on the final day of the campaign.
Uruguay, the 2011 Copa America winners, are hoping to be able to pair Suarez with Paris Saint-Germain’s Edinson Cavani in attack as they prepare to come up against England, Italy and Costa Rica in Group D.
They open against the Costa Ricans on June 19.
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