Kenny Dalglish: We won't rush Luis Suarez

Kenny Dalglish today spoke of his delight at seeing Luis Suarez being crowned a Copa America champion - but insisted he won't be rushing the Uruguay striker back into action for Liverpool.

Suarez scored the opening goal in Sunday's final victory over Paraguay to take his overall tally for the tournament to four and claim the competition's 'Most Valuable Player' accolade.

And while Dalglish can't wait to see the forward back on Merseyside after his summer break, he insists the Reds will take every precaution necessary to ensure Suarez begins the season in peak condition.

"It was fantastic what he achieved in the Copa America," the boss told Liverpoolfc.tv. "His performances were top drawer and Uruguay won the tournament, so as well as individual accolades, he's also got the team one which is the most important.

"He continued in the way he left us. He's made a fantastic contribution since he came in in January and I'm sure he'll be looking forward to the start of the season, especially after winning the Copa America.

"We're looking forward to getting him back. He'll have a good break now and hopefully we'll get him back in a couple of weeks, see how he is then and take it from there.

"We won't rush him. It's important players get the rest. It's important that he's ready to compete when he comes back. Because he's been playing deep into July, he's only getting a couple of weeks off but I'm sure it won't take much to get him fit or sharp.

"But we'll see how he is when he comes back and let him enjoy his holiday."

Another Liverpool star involved in the Copa America was Lucas Leiva, though the midfielder's Brazil side didn't enjoy the same kind of success as Uruguay after dropping out of the tournament at the quarter-final stage.

Dalglish added: "Lucas will be in next week. We'll see how he shapes up. Obviously his tournament didn't go as well as Luis's did, but he was fantastic for us last season and we're looking forward to getting him back as well and he should be well rested."