Gerard Deulofeu has vowed he will never go back to Barcelona — because he couldn’t handle being dubbed “the new Messi.”

Watford’s bargain £13million winger opened his account for the season with a spectacular goal against Huddersfield last weekend after an injury-hit start. And Deulofeu – who was part of a three-pronged strike force with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in some games last season – is relieved to have left great expectations at the Nou Camp behind.

Either side of stints at Sevilla, Everton (twice) and AC Milan, Barca youth product Deulofeu never produced his best football consistently for the Catalan giants, and he struggled to cope with the unrealistic expectations of what he could go on to achieve.

(Image: Reuters)

(Image: Reuters)

He told the Offside Rule Exclusives podcast: “That was difficult. When I was young it was terrible. Every day in the media you are the ‘New Messi’, and that’s not good for a young player.

“I’m a former Barcelona player, but maybe my style is more similar to the one of a Real Madrid or Manchester City player.

“I didn’t take the chance of staying at Barcelona because playing there is so difficult and sometimes I didn’t have the chance, the confidence of Barcelona.

(Image: Getty)

(Image: Action Images via Reuters)

“But now I’m here at Watford, I’m still young and the coach is tough. He is always trying to get the best out of me, which is good because if not you will be asleep on the pitch and you go down.

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“I said I will not come back to Barcelona.

“We tried two times (Barca sold him to Everton in 2015 then bought him back two years later), and if those two times doesn’t work, I don’t want to try three times... it’s too hard.

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“I had been at Barcelona since I was nine years old, but sometimes you don’t feel hope.

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“My best football is in the Premier League and Watford put a lot of confidence in me.”

The Hornets go to second-bottom Newcastle on Saturday in search of a third consecutive win after harvesting 19 points from their first 10 games — their best start ever in the top flight, including the 1980s glory days of Graham Taylor.