Diego Forlán explains Luis Suárez's absence

Diego Forlán said Luis Suarez left himself out of Uruguay's squad for the September fixtures, telling reporters at Carrasco airport that the Inter Miami forward "quería enfocarse más en lo que es el club".

Forlán, Uruguay's interim coach, spoke as the squad departed for Sendai, where Uruguay face Japan, South Korea and India in three friendlies between 24 September and 6 October. He said he and Suárez remain close and had discussed the decision directly.

"Con Luis (Suárez) hablo siempre. No cambió porque sea el entrenador de la selección. Tenemos una grandísima amistad. En ese sentido, hablamos directamente, no hay ningún problema."

Forlán added that Suárez, Uruguay's all-time leading scorer, could have been picked and is playing well. He pointed to the calendar rather than form as the deciding factor.

"Hemos hablado y él entendió perfectamente. Más una decisión de él, de la situación que está viviendo hoy en día. Obviamente que de cara a lo que viene para lo que es una competencia oficial como puede ser la Copa América en 2028 está bastante lejano y le pareció que quería enfocarse más en lo que es el club."

Suárez has scored 12 goals this season for Inter Miami, who sit second in Major League Soccer on 45 points from 25 matches, behind only Lionel Messi's 19 among the club's scorers. Forlán named four centre-forwards for the trip instead: Martín Satriano, Rodrigo Aguirre, Federico Viñas and Darwin Núñez, who moved to Al Diriyah in August and has scored 3 goals there.

Uruguay currently sit third in their World Cup group on 2 points from 3 matches. With the next meaningful target being the 2028 Copa América, Forlán's account suggests Suárez's absence is a short-term, club-focused choice rather than a break with the national team.