Former Barcelona and Everton forward Gerard Deulofeu has opened up about his horrific knee injury, revealing that he’s ‘going through an ordeal’ on the sidelines.
The former Watford winger had a knee operation at the end of January of last year, so he hasn’t played a minute of football in the past 13 months.
The Spaniard was on the verge of joining Tottenham under Antonio Conte, thus the injury happened at the worst possible time.
Since joining Udinese in October 2020, Deulofeu has established himself as a valuable creative outlet, amassing 18 goals and dishing out 14 assists in 68 appearances. It is evident that the Friulian team has suffered without him.
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 under contract with Udinese until June 2026 and could take on a backroom role if he is forced to retire.