Suarez shoots video to tell Uruguay he’s on road to recovery

Luis Suarez says his rehabilitation from knee surgery is going well, with the Uruguay striker on course to feature in the Group D clash with England.

After an incredible season with Liverpool, there had been fears whether the 27-year-old would be fit for the tournament in Brazil.

Images of Suarez being carted around in a wheelchair after undergoing keyhole surgery were broadcast around the world last month, raising concerns over his World Cup participation.

However, the forward has moved to allay fears in his homeland and, while Saturday’s Group D opener with Costa Rica may be too soon, looks likely to be available when Uruguay take on England in Sao Paulo on June 19.

“Hello to everyone, I wanted to tell you that my knee is getting better,” Suarez said in an online video, which looked to have been filmed on the team’s flight to Belo Horizonte.

“I feel very good, I have to go day by day, but everything is on the right way. I wanted to thank you all for the support I received during this week and now my mind is focused on the World Cup.”

Elsewhere, Brazil’s low-key build-up to their long-awaited World Cup caught the attention of England’s Football Association chairman Greg Dyke when he arrived in Sao Paulo ahead of Fifa’s Congress.

Although the atmosphere is building in Rio de Janeiro, in Sao Paulo there were few visible signs that the tournament is due to kick off in a matter of hours, with the city hosting the opening match between Brazil and Croatia.

Instead there have been public transport strikes, concerns that the stadium has not been tested at full capacity, and ongoing unhappiness among the Brazilian public about the drain on resources.

Dyke said: “What I’m surprised about this city is that you wouldn’t know there is a World Cup going on.

“There were buildings in the last World Cup that were covered in flags. Here... the only reason you’d know there’s a World Cup here is because half the people are on strike and you can’t get from the airport.”

Dyke said Fifa would have to take on board the impact of the cost of staging the tournament in the future.

He added: “The people I’ve been talking to are of the view that it’s very quiet. It does bring up the question for the future because clearly there are a lot of people in this country who think too much money has been spent when there are extremes of poverty.”