Gerard Deulofeu fears he may never play football again as former Everton man faces 'real ordeal'

Gerard Deulofeu is worried he might have to stop playing football at the age of 29 because of a bad injury.

The Spaniard first came to Everton on loan from Barcelona for a season in 2013/14 before joining the Blues on a permanent deal. He played in 75 matches over two years with the Toffees before moving to AC Milan, back to Barcelona, and then to Watford.

In 2021, he joined Udinese in Serie A, but picked up a serious knee injury in January last year. Deulofeu hasn't been able to play since then, and now he thinks he might have to quit football for good. Appearing on the Jijantes Twitch channel, he said: "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.

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"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."

Deulofeu couldn't divulge too much information about his injury because of rules set by Udinese, but he added: "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. Luckily I was able to make a big change on a personal level.

"I am happy with my change, for those who have been by my side