Luis Suarez Needs Knee Surgery, May Miss Start of The 2014 World Cup

Luis Suarez injured his meniscus in pre-World Cup training. The Uruguayan striker will have surgery to repair it. Normal recovery time for the procedure is three to 10 weeks. Uruguay’s first match against Costa Rica on June 14 is in 23 days.

Suarez, after finishing his suspension for biting Branislav Ivanovic, was the EPL player of the season at Liverpool, amassing 31 goals and 12 assists in 33 starts. He was also top scorer in CONMEBOL qualifying with 11 goals. Him being in top form is pivotal for Uruguay who (a) limped to qualification through the fifth-place playoff and (b) face a group with England and Italy.

The schedule is favorable, with the easiest opponent first. A reasonable timeline would see Uruguay get by Costa Rica without Suarez and have him back to face England and Italy. But fit to play and fit to dominate are two different things. Wayne Rooney played coming off injuries in both 2006 and 2010. He has more red cards (1) in eight World Cup appearances than goals (0).