Enrique defends Suarez’s fitness ahead of El Classico.
Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has been forced to take the unusual step of publicly defending striker Luis Suarez’s fitness, report Goal.com, with Enrique laughing off recent suggestions that the Uruguayan has put on far too much weight during his three month ban from competitive football for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini during a World Cup group match.
Suarez’s ban expires in the coming days and he is set to make his Barcelona debut during next weekend’s huge El Classico grudge match against eternal rivals Real Madrid – but the media have been stoking the fire ahead of this clash, with some suggestion that Suarez is overweight going into the big match.
Having not played competitively in some three months, it is only to be expected that Suarez is not at full fitness, but he was looking relatively sharp during recent friendly displays for the Barcelona B side and also Uruguay, leading Enrique to step in and defend his man:
“He feels he has improved compared to the first training sessions and the games with his country have helped him.”
“I don’t know if he’s at 100 per cent, 80% or 90% fitness – but he is not fat.”