LUIS SUAREZ insists he’s ready to leave the past behind him as he looks to realise his dream of firing Liverpool into the Champions League this season.

In an extensive interview at Melwood ahead of tomorrow’s visit of Manchester City, the Uruguayan striker vowed to repay the Reds for the support they gave him during his first full campaign in English football.

Suarez and controversy were never far apart. The damaging race row with Patrice Evra earned him an eight-match ban and his subsequent failure to shake the Manchester United defender’s hand at Old Trafford led to a public rebuke from the club.

The 25-year-old’s claims that he was the victim of injustice merely served to pour petrol on the flames but now Suarez says he has drawn a line in the sand.

“What happened in the past is in the past. It is over,” he said. “We are professional footballers. We play football on the pitch. Like any other problem someone has, you have to put it behind you and move on.”

Tomorrow’s Premier League showdown with the champions at Anfield can’t come soon enough for Suarez who admits he’s still smarting from last weekend’s opening day defeat at West Brom.

Having been rested for the Europa League trip to Hearts, Suarez will return to the starting line up and is eager to get off the mark after spurning a number of glorious opportunities against the Baggies.

“It was very hard because it is not the beginning we were hoping for,” he said. “But I didn’t think 3-0 was a just result because in the first half we played well enough to score goals. Then losing a player in the second half made things more difficult.

“I was annoyed about last Saturday because I did the hardest thing, which was to get free of my marker but after that I missed the chances. That is why we have training – to try and tweak these little things and make them better.

“It is always a difficult thing to start with a new manager and a new system but I think we played fairly well at West Brom and we knew it would be difficult. But it’s okay because we trust in the new manager and we are all very happy with him.”

It was his belief in the vision sold to him by Brendan Rodgers that helped convince Suarez to commit to a new long-term contract this month.

Juventus were desperate to lure him away from Anfield but the striker, who arrived from Ajax for £22.8million in January 2011, opted to stay put.

“There were clubs that wanted to sign me but my priority was always to stay and sign for Liverpool,” he added. “I am very happy here and the manager said he wanted me to stay because he was happy with me as a player. That gave me the confidence that I was hoping for and that helped me to sign for Liverpool.

“The fact the club stuck by me last season also helped. The club has trust in me because of the work I do on the football pitch.”

The Champions League is the stage on which Suarez wants to be performing but he believes he can achieve that goal at Anfield.

With Rodgers having inherited a squad which finished eighth last term, 17 points adrift of the top four, bridging that gap this season will be tough but Suarez remains bullish about their hopes.

“I recognise that the season wasn’t very good for us last year in the league,” he said. “A team like Liverpool always wants to be in the Champions League. That is where it should be. I’ve still got hopes that we can make the Champions League this season. That is where I dream of playing for at least one season with Liverpool.”

For that to be achieved the Reds will need Suarez to show the kind of ruthless streak which was lacking at West Brom last weekend.

His breathtaking skills have lit up Anfield over the past 19 months and secured him iconic status on the Kop but there has been one recurring frustration – his finishing.

A return of 21 goals for Liverpool in 54 appearances so far is scant reward for his overall contribution.

For Rodgers’ team to be successful, either the burden on Suarez’s shoulders must be eased or the Uruguayan must develop into the prolific goalscorer the Reds crave. Not since Fernando Torres in 2007/8 has anyone scored 20 league goals for the club in a season.

Suarez insists he is capable of replicating the prolific strike rate he enjoyed in Holland where he netted 81 league goals in 110 games during three and a half years with Ajax.

“The issue isn’t that I have to create chances for myself here,” he said. “I am the problem. It is all down to me. I need to take my time more when I do have chances.

“Sometimes I am rushing at chances too much and I know the problem is mine. It is up to me to sort it out and to start scoring goals.

“In Holland I scored a lot of lucky goals. If you look back on my goals in Holland you will see that.

“A lot of times, I didn’t even hit them properly but they went in. If there is one thing that is missing in this country it is that bit of luck that can make a big difference.

“I am hoping that it will return and then I will score more goals.”