Gerard Deulofeu has revealed that he has never been able to fully recover after suffering a serious knee injury against Liverpool in 2020.
Speaking to Jijantes’ Gerard Romero, relayed by Fichajes, the 29-year-old has explained how an incident with Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk has impacted his fitness for over three years to the point where he could end up hanging up his boots.
The winger spent three years at Watford before joining the Serie A side on a permanent deal in 2021 and was part of the Hornets side that ended Jürgen Klopp’s 44-match unbeaten run with Liverpool in March 2020.
During the same game, the 29-year-old went down awkwardly after a clash with Virgil van Dijk, which saw him stretchered off the field.
Even though he returned to the pitch from that setback after his recovery, he has been struggling with knee problems ever since.
Now at Udinese, the forward has been on the sidelines since November 2022 and even though his deal at Udinese lasts until 2026, the prospect of retiring is looming over his head, all because of that injury against Liverpool all those years ago.
“I cannot speak a lot, because we have an agreement with the club, but I tell you that it’s a real ordeal, you cannot imagine what is happening to me. I’ve been knowing for months that it could happen, that I’ll not play again and we have to accept it. I am trying, anyway.”
The attacker has thanked those close to him for helping him deal with this “ordeal”.
“I’m screwed. I haven’t been able to do what I like most for a long time. I’ve been off the field for more than a year. It’s been very complicated, but, luckily, I’ve been able to make a big change on a personal level,” Deulofeu explained.
“I’m very happy for my change, because of who has been by my side and what I’ve created in my life. That’s saving me, because, when you don’t have an organised life on a personal level, such a hard task, with so many operations on the leg, probably I would have fallen into depression.”
