Luis Suarez To Return To Liverpool Line-Up

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers says that Luis Suarez is ready for a "seamless" return to the first team after weeks of rigorous training and preparation.

Suarez who bit Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in April, will serve the last match of his 10-game suspension, against Southampton on Saturday, which means he will be able to return and feature against Manchester United in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday.

Even though Rodgers haven't guaranteed Luis Suarez a starting spot at Old Trafford, he says that the striker has been "working his socks off" in readiness for his return.

"The idea is that, hopefully, when he steps back in it will be seamless," he told reporters. "Of course there will be a transitional period for him but I am really looking forward to having him back.

"He is working his socks off. At the end of sessions, he is having extra work tagged on relative to him and his position. He is flushing himself out to the maximum to be as fit as he possibly can. I am looking forward to it."

Rodgers believes that Suarez has done as much as possible to be fit for action after playing in World Cup qualifiers for Uruguay during his ban, as well as private friendlies at Liverpool's Melwood training ground.

"We have been organising some games behind closed doors, both in terms of in-house 11-a-side matches and bringing teams in," he added.

"In between that he has had international games as well to keep him ticking along. He has been doing a lot of individual work specific to him on top of all that and replicating his high-intensity speed runs that he would do in a game.

"It is not the same as playing in a match but, say he did 1,000 high-intensity runs in a game - he has been replicating that in training so that he is at a level where we hope he will hit the ground running.