Hungry For Action

Gerard Deulofeu suffered a stop-start first season as a permanent Blues player, but having now fully recovered from injury and with a new manager to impress, the Spanish forward can't wait to get started

- Gerard Deulofeu

It goes without saying that Gerard Deulofeu is looking forward to locking swords with a couple of his compatriot teams this summer.

Everton play Real Betis in the Dresden Cup and then wind up the summer friendly programme with a game against Espanyol at Goodison Park.

The two La Liga outfits are teams that Deulofeu knows very well from his spells at Barcelona and Sevilla.

“They will be good experiences for us to play against Spanish teams because they have good managers and they are always good games tactically,” he said. “You can learn from playing these teams but we are a good team ourselves and it will be good preparation. We will enjoy the two games.

“I know these two teams because all the time in my house I am watching football and, of course, I watch La Liga games. Espanyol have brought in some good players, such as Jose Antonio Reyes and Jose Manuel Jurado. I think they will do well in La Liga this year.

“Real Betis are the same – they are a good team also. I know players like Rueben Castro and I know the team. Betis is in the same town as Sevilla so when I played there I got to know them. I wish them well for this season. We want to enjoy the two games against these teams but, of course, we want to win them.

“I like to play against Spanish teams and I hope they are two good games. But it is pre-season and so it is different than playing competitively… it is all about being ready for the Premier League. We want to prepare ourselves properly and be ready for when we play against Tottenham on the first day of the season.”

Deulofeu has made 62 appearances for Everton over two spells (31 starts and 31 substitute appearances) and he’s determined to add significantly to that tally during the forthcoming campaign.