Former Everton star Gerard Deulofeu has spoken out on his injury issues after being out since January 2023
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Sport
11:07, 19 Jun 2025
Gerard Deulofeu during the match between Napoli and Udinese on November 12, 2022
Gerard Deulofeu during the match between Napoli and Udinese on November 12, 2022
(Image: Gabriele Maricchiolo/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Former Everton star Gerard Deulofeu has broken his silence on the long-term fitness struggles that could force him into retirement, declaring: “it’s more than an injury, it is a real disability.” The 31-year-old has not played in more than two years.
Deulofeu had two spells with the Blues, the first on loan, making 75 appearances and scoring eight goals. A popular figure with supporters, he featured in one of the big screen messages on the day of Goodison Park’s final Premier League fixture as Everton defeated Southampton 2-0 on May 18 and also took to social media to write on X: “End of an era. Love you Toffees. Love you Goodison Park.”
Deulofeu, who turned 31 on March 13, hasn’t played a competitive match since he came on as a 77th minute substitute for the now Everton striker Beto in Udinese’s 1-0 Serie A win at Sampdoria on January 22, 2023, but was forced to go off himself with a serious knee injury in stoppage time.
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He was just 28 at the time, but having failed to return to action since, his contract was terminated by mutual consent on January 16 this year.
Deulofeu’s recovery has been hampered by a cartilage infection, and Pazzi Di Fanta quote him as saying: “For me, all of this is torture. Every day I train to get back but communicating the times is impossible for me, it’s not a seven, eight or nine month injury but much longer.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever make it, but I’ll give my all to do it and I don’t want to give up, even if I’ve often thought about retiring. All of this, is more than an injury, it is a real disability.”
Deulofeu maintains that his club continued to help him throughout the process and said: “Udinese has always supported me, this is important to clarify because it seems like they left me alone during the ordeal, but it wasn’t like that.
“I have the opportunity to train in their facilities, I often speak with Gino Pozzo (Watford’s managing director and legal owner whose father Giampaolo owns Udinese) and I have a constant conversation with the doctors, I will always be grateful to them.”
A one-time Barcelona wonderkid once considered one of the brightest emerging talents from the Catalan giants’ fabled ‘La Masia’ academy, Deulofeu now looks back on his early days at the Camp Nou wistfully.
He said: “Barcelona could certainly have expected more from me. It wasn’t easy to play with (Lionel) Messi, (Luis) Suarez and Neymar but they didn’t keep their promises, but I would have been willing to give everything for an opportunity.
“I certainly regret not staying, also because I believe I have responsibilities. I wanted success, but I lacked maturity.”