Suarez confident of making the World Cup

Montevideo (Uruguay), May 23 (IANS) Luis Suarez insists he will be fit for Uruguay's World Cup campaign after undergoing surgery to his left knee.

The Liverpool striker had an arthroscopy Thursday to repair damaged cartilage and doctors expect him to be sidelined for the next month, reports Xinhua.

But the 27-year-old has not ruled out a return for La Celeste's first World Cup match against Costa Rica in Fortaleza, June 14.

"Don't worry, I'll be there," Suarez was quoted as saying by Uruguayan news portal Ovacion.

"I'm going to work as hard as I can to be 100 percent and help my teammates."

Suarez suffered the injury during Liverpool's 2-1 Premier League victory over Newcastle, May 11. Meniscus damage was only identified after an MRI scan in Montevideo this week.

Earlier Thursday, Uruguay's football federation released a statement saying Suarez's "participation has not been ruled out".

According to Uruguayan sports injury specialist Gustavo Chiara, players need an average of 28 days to recover from the surgery.

Uruguay's clash against Costa Rica will be followed by fixtures against England, June 19 and Italy five days later.