Former Everton and Watford forward Gerard Deulofeu opened up about his serious battle with a knee injury, revealing that he’s ‘going through an ordeal’ on the sidelines.
The former Everton and Watford winger has not played a single minute of football in the last 13 months, having undergone a knee operation at the end of January last year. The injury came at the worst time for the Spaniard, who was just a step away from joining Antonio Conte’s Tottenham.
Deulofeu has proven himself an important creative outlet at Udinese since his arrival in October 2020, scoring 18 goals and providing 14 assists across 68 games, and his absence has clearly had an effect on the Friulian club.
Speaking on the Jijantes Twitch channel via Calciomercato.com, Deulofeu was honest when discussing his serious knee injury, admitting he may never play professional football again.
“For several months I’ve known that I might not play again. I can’t do what I love for a long time, I haven’t played for over a year. I can’t say much, but I’m going through an ordeal. You can’t imagine what I’m going through.
“I’m trying to recover in every way, but I’ve accepted the idea that I may never recover. I had an injury in 2020, my knee was very traumatized, but I managed to recover. I then suffered another injury, for a third time and there were complications.
“I can’t say much because I have an agreement with my club, but I’ll just say that it’s a real ordeal, you can’t imagine what’s happening to me. However, I’m trying to recover in every way. But I’m also preparing for what could be a post-playing career.”
Deulofeu is still contracted to Udinese until June 2026 and could move into a backroom role at the club should he ultimately be forced to retire.
#Udinese, #Deulofeu: ‘So che potrei non giocare più’. Cosa si è fatto, l’ipotesi ritiro e la risoluzione di contratto https://t.co/2Ly9WdGH4U
— calciomercato.com (@cmdotcom) February 21, 2024