Madrid: Barcelona coach Luis Enrique insisted on Friday that Luis Suarez is not fat as the controversial Uruguayan striker prepares to make his return to competitive action.
After his ban for biting an opponent at the World Cup, Suarez should make his Barcelona debut against bitter rivals Real Madrid on October 25 and Enrique rejected comments made by some media about Suarez’s fitness.
“It’s difficult to evaluate if he’s at 70, 80, 90 or 100 per cent, but what is sure is he feels much better in training,” said Enrique.
“He’s been in a certain dynamic for a while and the fact that he has been able to play for his country has allowed him to rediscover the daily life of a footballer.
“We see him training every day, he’s a player like any other and what’s clear is that he’s not fat.
“He never has been, despite everything that’s been said. He’s been in shape for several months so everything is fine.”
Suarez moved from Liverpool to Barcelona for €95 million in the wake of the storm of controversy after he bit Italian defender Girogio Chiellini at the World Cup and was banned for four months. Suarez was banned for nine competitive internationals.
Although Suarez has played in friendly matches for both club and country during his ban, scoring twice against Oman last Monday, he has not been allowed to appear in official fixtures.
Suarez said this week, as he received the Golden Boot award for Europe’s top scorer — which he shared with Cristiano Ronaldo — that starting with Barcelona was “a dream come true.”
Asked if he was 100 per cent ready for the Real match, he said: “If you had asked me that a week ago, before the two games with Uruguay, I may have had doubts.
“But I have played in those two [friendly] games and I am probably in better condition than I thought I was. So I think I can say now, yes, 100 per cent, I am ready to play.”
