by Our Sports Desk

New Barcelona striker Luis Suarez pledged yesterday never to bite an opponent again and is desperate to move on from the World Cup controversy that left him “really depressed.”

The Uruguayan provoked uproar in June when he bit Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini in Brazil, the third time he has committed such an offence and one that initially earned him a four-month ban from all football-related activity and a nine-match international suspension.

While the ban stands, the Court of Arbitration for Sport has subsequently relaxed the “excessive” elements of the punishment, meaning Suarez can now train and play in friendlies for his country and new club.

However, Suarez has previously been banned for biting PSV’s Otman Bakkel and Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic while with Ajax and Liverpool respectively and there are fears he could bite again.

He said: “I say to all the fans that I don’t do that anymore.

“That’s something that happened and afterwards I was really depressed and didn’t feel like doing anything.

“But then I spoke to my psychologist and he said I had to face it and say sorry.

“I did that and now I would rather focus on the present which is Barcelona.

“I’m here to do important things at Barca. Everything that happens in the past, that needs to be forgotten.

“If I start thinking about everything I’ve gone through, I wouldn’t be able to sleep.”

The forward switched Anfield for the Camp Nou earlier this summer although the Fifa ban meant he could not be unveiled until Tuesday, a day after he made his debut as a substitute in the 6-0 friendly win over Mexican side Leon.

It has been worth the wait for Suarez, though, who said: “I’ve dreamed of playing for Barca for years and now it’s true. I never thought this moment would come.

“These are spectacular experiences, really emotional. It was a great feeling to play in the Camp Nou, I loved it.

“I’ve never played at the Camp Nou so to come out and see the fans was interesting for me. It hasn’t sunk in yet, I can’t believe this.”

Suarez knows people will watch his every move.

“Every player at Barcelona is going to be under the microscope,” he said.

“Perhaps they will be looking a bit more at me but I’m used to that kind of thing because of what I was going through at Liverpool.”