Udinese is missing for over a year
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It has been 395 days since Gerard Deulofeu was last on the pitch. After knee surgery, the 29-year-old still has to be patient. Although Udinese Calcio extended the contract until 2026 despite the injury last July, Deulofeu reckons his career could be over much sooner. “I’ve known for months that it could happen that I won’t play anymore and I have to accept that. Anyway, I’m trying,” said the Spaniard Interview with sports journalist Gerard Romero.
Since injuring his cruciate ligament at the end of February 2020 in a duel with Virgil van Dijk (32), Deulofeu has repeatedly struggled with his knee, but he has never had to take a break for as long as he currently does. “I was able to recover, but when you are out with a knee injury for the third time, you have a very traumatized knee and there are complications. I can’t say too much because we have an agreement with the club, but I can tell you it’s a real ordeal. You can’t imagine what I’m going through,” Deulofeu stated.
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After moving within the Pozzo cosmos from FC Watford to Udinese Calcio, the former Barça talent found his way back to his old strength after a season with further injuries. The Serie A club has 32 goals in 68 appearances, which makes the long absence all the more serious. “I’m at the end. “I haven’t been able to do what I like to do for a long time,” said Deulofeu honestly, who has personally adjusted a few things. “I am very happy about my change, about the people who supported me and about what I have created in my life. That saved me because if you don’t have an orderly life on a personal level, such a hard blow, with so many operations on my leg… I probably would have fallen into depression.”
Deulofeu always has a spark of hope that his career will continue, but he makes a general appeal to his fellow footballers. Every player should try to avoid unnecessary attacks against an opponent’s knees. “Having experienced it myself, I would like people who make such tackles to really think about the fact that they could get a big injury,” said Deulofeu, who stressed that with a knee injury “it is very difficult, again to get to his level because you always have a little weakness.”
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