Atletico Madrid forward Luis Suarez will miss Uruguay’s World Cup qualifiers next month because of a knee problem, the Spanish club said on Monday.
Suarez, who scored in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Villarreal before being substituted, had been due to join up with his national team for games against Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador.
“In the MRI scan undertaken by the player, a moderate edema was detected on the posterior part of his left knee,” Atletico said in a statement.
“The club’s medical services have informed the Uruguayan Federation and the player has been ruled out of joining up for the 2022 World Cup the qualifying matches.”
Suarez joins Manchester United’s Edinson Cavani on the withdrawal list after the Uruguayan Federation announced the forward’s call-up had been cancelled earlier on Monday.
The British government refused a quarantine exemption request by Fifa president Gianni Infantino for players returning from red list countries during the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in pull-outs and compromise deals between clubs and national associations.
Meanwhile, Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani’s Uruguay call-up for next month’s World Cup qualifiers has been cancelled due to quarantine rules, Uruguay’s football association (AUF) said on Monday.
Premier League clubs last week unanimously decided not to release players for international duty that required travel to countries on the UK’s Covid-19 red list.
People travelling to red-list countries are required to quarantine for 10 days after returning, and Cavani would have missed the league game against Newcastle United on September 11 and the Champions League clash against Young Boys three days later.
AUF said the 34-year-old Cavani will not be involved against Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador due to “the situation for players coming from England”.
Cavani made his first appearance of the season against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday, coming off the bench in United’s 1-0 win.
