Gerard Deulofeu has revealed that his strong affinity with Everton’s fans was a key factor behind his decision to return to Goodison Park.

Speaking to evertontv, Deulofeu said: “I had a great year when I was here last. I really enjoyed my time here. I felt loved by the Evertonians and I was surrounded by really good teammates. I’m very happy to be back.

“The fans here are great and I felt really supported by them. Obviously I went back to Barcelona and then Sevilla but here, the fans live for their football.

“The Everton fans have been sending me messages all the time on social media, on Instagram and Twitter, asking me questions. If I have got 50 notifications on Twitter, 40 of them will be from Everton fans asking what is going on!

“Both myself and my girlfriend feel very supported by the fans and I just hope this year I can work really hard and give them back some of the happiness that they deserve.

“Of course there were other options, but I always said right from the start that I wanted to come back to Everton – you can ask my agent and he will say the same

“This is where I feel happy, this is where I feel like I am loved by the fans. The fans support me – they always send me messages, so this was where I wanted to come back to.”