Luis Suarez was written off by some before kicking a ball at Inter Miami, but Julian Gressel says critics helped the veteran striker find his “edge”.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Suarez bagged a brace for the Herons in his latest MLS appearance, as he stepped off the bench to settle a 3-1 victory over D.C. United. His fitness is having to be managed carefully, with the 37-year-old nursing long-standing knee problems.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
He is, however, up to six goals and five assists for the 2024 campaign across all competitions, with those returns seeing him top the charts for Inter Miami in both departments – leaving fellow former Barcelona star Lionel Messi trailing in his wake.
WHAT GRESSEL SAID ABOUT SUAREZ
USMNT star Gressel, who is now a team-mate of the Uruguayan frontman in Florida, has said of seeing Suarez offer the perfect response to any doubters: “It was perfect. It was perfect. Because look at him now. He’s getting more comfortable. I think it’s something that you can’t just write off, in a sense, where you can’t just be coming into a new team and a new club, a new city for the family, everything. It takes a little bit of time and that happened for him, that happened for me, those things just are just normal. And for him to be called out a little bit, I think helped him to kind of get that edge where now he’s clinical and he’s the Suarez we’ve known, so he can come in and change the game like he did for us.”
WHAT NEXT FOR SUAREZ?
Inter Miami needed Suarez to step up against D.C. United as eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi was unavailable through injury. They are hoping that knock is not too serious and that he will soon be back providing obvious goal threat of his own.
