Barcelona Striker Luis Suarez Responds to Criticism of Timing of Knee Surgery

Barcelona striker Luis Suarez has responded to criticism over the timing of a knee operation that saw him miss Saturday's Copa del Rey final defeat to Valencia.

The Uruguay international is expected to be fit in time for the 2019 Copa America and has taken to Twitter to clarify why he went under the knife before the end of Barcelona's season.

The 32-year-old says he feels he must answer those who "question my professionalism" and adds that he was "forced to go through the operating room and miss the final yesterday against my will" after suffering a "meniscus tear" in Barcelona's UEFA Champions League defeat to Liverpool. 

Here is a look at Suarez's post in full:

Barcelona announced after the defeat at Anfield that Suarez would be out for "four to six weeks" following surgery and would be sidelined for the club's final three league games of the season and the Copa del Rey final.

Suarez was missed in the 2-1 defeat to Valencia with manager Ernesto Valverde using midfielder Sergi Roberto in attack alongside Lionel Messi and Philippe Coutinho.

Sports writer Andy West noted their lack of threat during the match:

Barcelona were also without injured forward Ousmane Dembele, and the club struggled without the Frenchman and Suarez in the lineup, according to football journalist Rik Sharma:

Suarez turned 32 in January but has been a crucial presence for Barcelona again this season. He has netted 21 goals in La Liga; only Lionel Messi has more in Spain's top flight:

However, Suarez scored just once in the UEFA Champions League for Barca, and despite his prolific La Liga form, there is a sense that the Uruguayan is fast approaching the end of his Barcelona career. 

The Spanish champions are keen to bring in a new No. 9 and Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann in the summer transfer window to strengthen their attack, according to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Peter Rutzler for MailOnline).

Suarez is expected to return to action for Uruguay in the Copa America, and manager Oscar Tabarez has said he thinks he will be available for the tournament in Brazil, per Football Espana.

Uruguay face Chile, Ecuador and Japan in the group stages as the 2018 FIFA World Cup quarter-finalists aim to lift the Copa America for the first time since 2011.