Suarez's knee 'perfect' ahead of Italy battle

After his lead-up to the 2014 finals in South America was clouded by knee surgery, Suarez single-handedly buried England with both goals in a 2-1 win in Sao Paulo on Thursday.

Ahead of Uruguay's do-or-die battle with Italy in Natal on Tuesday, Suarez said his knee had recovered well after his headline performance.

"I am very well. My knee is in perfect condition, after a surgery it is always difficult to see the evolution, and (especially) after I have played so many minutes the other day, with that tension," Suarez said.

"The truth is that the reaction of my knee was spectacular.

"If it wasn't that way I would have told the 'Teacher' (coach Oscar Tabarez) that I was not in good condition to play, so in that sense, I was very calm."

Suarez was admittedly below full fitness for their clash with Roy Hodgson's side but said he was inspired to deny the country of his current residence.

"Obviously I said that I wasn't 100 per cent fit but my morale was really high, and that plays an important role for some games, and that was what happened to me the other day," the Liverpool hit-man said.

"I was at my limit physically because my last game had been back on May 13th in Liverpool, and the other day I ended very tired but the pace you get in this type of games… (it) makes you reach the next one in better conditions, so I got these few days to rest and be in great form against Italy."

Tabarez said he never doubted Suarez could deliver the goods once the former Ajax forward declared himself available for their second Group D encounter.

"I had a lot, a lot of confidence in what he could gave us, regarding his potential, and on what he knows to do in the last quarter of the pitch," Tabarez said.

"And that, you don't lose it in a meniscus operation."