FORTALEZA: Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez said his team desperately needs star striker Luis Suarez back on the field after being stunned by Costa Rica on Saturday.
The South American champions slumped to a 3-1 defeat that could kill their hopes of getting through the tough World Cup Group D.
And ahead of their clash with England in Sao Paulo on June 19, Tabarez said he needs Suarez to be fully fit.
The 27-year-old Liverpool forward was kitted up on the bench on Saturday, even warming up at one stage but Tabarez deemed he was not fit enough to throw into the fray.
“Suarez is not injured anymore, otherwise he couldn’t have been on the substitutes’ bench,” said Tabarez.
“We’ll see when we can take him into consideration, for us he’s a fundamental player.
“He has the potential to bring a lot to the team he plays for.
“There are four days before the game with England, we’ll see whether or not he can play but the most important thing is the person.”
Uruguay led Costa Rica 1-0 at half-time thanks to an Edinson Cavani penalty. But Tabarez said his team were outfought tactically.
Second half goals from Joel Campbell, Oscar Duarte and Marcos Urena gave Costa Rica a stunning World Cup upset.
“They’re a team with a lot of virtues,” said Tabarez.
“I don’t know what is the best of Costa Rica but today (Saturday) they played really well, they dominated tactically and deserved to win.”
But it wasn’t all doom and gloom for Tabarez, who insisted his team could bounce back against England and rescue their World Cup hopes.
“The odds have shortened and against England we have to get back on track against a great team that will be very difficult.
“With what we’ve got and the weapons we have, we have to get back on track and try to redeem ourselves against England.”
Despite starting the group as rank outsiders, Campbell, who played on loan at Olympiakos from Arsenal this last season, believes his side can reach the knock-out rounds.
“The whole team was the star, the whole team played well,” he said.
“Right from the start we knew we could win. We have a very strong mentality and even when we were losing our heads didn’t drop.
“We’ve got two more games and we hope to get good results to see us into the last 16,” Campbell declared.
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