Gerard Deulofeu answers to Everton after Goodison Park statement.

Gerard Deulofeu has responded to a letter of encouragement from Everton after the player revealed that his playing days could be over.

The 29-year-old has not made an appearance for Udinese since January 2023, having picked up a major knee injury, and has stated that he may never play football again.

Deulofeu only made 75 Everton appearances during two spells at the club but soon became a fan-favourite at Goodison Park, and the outpouring of emotion from fans proves it.

Reacting to Everton’s comment on his X post on Thursday (22 February), he replied: “Love you, Everton.”

Former Everton star Gerard Deulofeu suffers huge setback

Any football player would understand the variety of feelings that Deulofeu is currently going through, having to come to terms with not being able to do the one thing he loves.

Considering he is only 29 years old, the winger has plenty of life left in him and a lot of time and energy to devote to Udinese, but it seems his playing days are finished.

Everton fans will love Deulofeu, even despite a limited number of appearances for the club, and the passion appears to be mutual.

The Spaniard has experienced an amazing career up to this point, playing for Barcelona, Everton, Sevilla, AC Milan, Watford, and his current squad Udinese.

His flare, on-the-ball talent and trickery quickly made him a fan at Goodison Park, and every other club he arrived at too. One of his most memorable matches came for Watford in the FA Cup semi-final as the Hornets completed an astonishing comeback against Wolves

Though he no longer plays for the Merseyside club and has not been there since 2017, fans have been coming together to support Deulofeu amid such a difficult period for the sportsman.

If he does have to hang up his boots, it will be a very tough transition, one that many sportspeople struggle to come to terms with at the end of their careers. The abruptness of it all will just make problems worse for him.

In other Everton news, an England update has emerged on one Toffees star after recent occurrences at West Ham.

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