Gerard Deulofeu talks about his recovery from injury

The years have ticked by, three of them since he last kicked a ball, but every day spent grafting in the gym is one Gerard Deulofeu believes he is a step closer to a "miracle".

"One of the things I get energy from is that I know I can make history," says the 31-year-old, whose last appearance for Udinese was in January 2023.

Football is his passion, his job. It is the game that took him to Barcelona's famed La Masia academy as a child and European glory as an adult. To the FA Cup final and the unbridled pride of scoring for his country. Tying full-backs in knots from Milan to Merseyside.

Deulofeu desperately wants to feel that rush again, to complete what he feels would be the longest recovery ever.