Gerard Deulofeu has said he is happier at Watford than he was at Barcelona, because he gets to play more football.

The winger developed as a youngster alongside the likes of Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta, but was not getting the game time he wanted when he progressed through to the first team.

Speaking to Bein Sports, the 26-year-old, who is recovering from knee surgery in Spain, said he was proud of what he'd achieved in his career and was happy with the Hornets.

"I learnt a lot from the academy of Barcelona," he said. "But everyone knows my time in the first team wasn't the best and that was my objective and I didn't realise it, so I'm also proud to go to the other countries, like Italy, like England, like Spain, Sevilla, and take some experience and some of the best things in the dressing room. I'm now 26, I think I'm a completely different player than when I was young and I'm really happy also because my career is really good."

Deulofeu spoke about the pressure of being a youngster at Barcelona and the expectation that weighs heavily on the shoulders of those who are labelled as the next generation of superstars from a very early age.

"When you are a young kid in Barcelona there is a lot of eyes, on you," he said.

"A lot of people thinks you're going to be the next Iniesta, the next Messi, the stars of the football, and that's difficult because the young players, what they have to do is do his job every day with no pressure. What you have to do every day is listen and work.

"It was difficult because you're playing really good in Barcelona B, the second team, you have people like Messi, Neymar, Pedro [alongside you] and you have to decide if you want to be patient and wait for your moment or if you want to go out and play more games for the experience.

"My type of character and attitude is I don't want to be on the bench, I want to play. For me, it doesn't matter if I'm in Barcelona, if I'm in Bayern Munich or in Watford, what I want to be is inside the pitch and be happy. I can be happier in Watford because in Barcelona without playing, you can't be happy."

When asked who was the best player he'd played with, Deulofeu's answer was an obvious one. However, the Watford winger ruled out a reunion with his former team-mate and said he was not keen on a return to his former club.

"I play in Barcelona with Messi and all the people who ask me about that I can't say any other player because he's the king," he said.

"My little period in Barcelona was incredible and was another lesson to look at the best player in the world and was really good. During a lot of interviews I said before I'm not going back to Barcelona."