Sebastian Coates has been included in Uruguay coach Oscar Washington Tabarez's 25-man preliminary squad for this summer's World Cup.

Sebastian Coates has been included in Uruguay coach Oscar Washington Tabarez's 25-man preliminary squad for this summer's World Cup.

Liverpool defender Coates was sidelined for almost eight months after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury on international duty last August, but has been on the comeback trail at former club Nacional, whom he joined on loan from the Reds in January

There are three other Premier League players in the squad with Liverpool star Luis Suarez, West Brom defender Diego Lugano and Southampton midfielder Gaston Ramirez included, along with 34-year-old Cerezo Osaka forward Diego Forlan and Paris St Germain's Edinson Cavani in a powerful-looking attack.

Defensive duo Jose Maria Gimenez and Jorge Fucile have also been called up, despite not playing regularly for Atletico Madrid and Porto respectively, but there was no place for veteran Penarol goalkeeper Juan Castillo.

Castillo's omission means there are no domestic-based players in Tabarez's 25-man group, although Nacional defender Andres Scotti is one of three players on the stand-by list.

Uruguay, who reached the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and won the Copa America the following year, will face England, Italy and Costa Rica in Group D in Brazil.

Uruguay squad: Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray), Martin Silva (Vasco Da Gama), Rodrigo Munoz (Libertad); Diego Lugano (West Brom), Diego Godin, Jose Maria Gimenez (both Atletico Madrid), Martin Caceres (Juventus), Maximiliano Pereira (Benfical), Jorge Fucile (Porto), Sebastian Coates (Nacional); Egidio Arevalo-Rios (Morelia), Walter Gargano (Parma), Diego Perez (Bologna), Sebastian Eguren (Palmeiras), Alvaro Gonzalez (Lazio), Alejandro Silva (Lanus), Alvaro Pereira (Sao Pablo), Cristian Rodriguez (Atletico Madrid), Gaston Ramirez (Southampton), Nicolas Lodeiro (Botafogo); Edinson Cavani (PSG), Luis Suarez (Liverpool), Diego Forlan (Cerezo Osaka), Abel Hernandez (Palermo), Cristian Stuani (Espanyol).

Standy-by list: Andres Scotti (Nacional), Alvaro Fernandez (Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata), Gonzalo Castro (Real Sociedad).