Rafa Benitez tells James Rodriguez to look for Everton exit
Rafa Benitez has told James Rodriguez that he’s not in his Everton plans for next season, claims Spanish journalist Edu Aguirre.
The Colombian’s future has been up in the air ever since Carlo Ancelotti’s unceremonious departure and now, based on Aguirre’s appearance on El Chiringuito, Benitez has told Rodriguez in no uncertain terms that he’s free to leave.
It’s understood that Rodriguez is now looking for an exit with AC Milan and Real Madrid being his possible destinations. [Marca]
Aguirre said, as transcribed by Mirando la Hidrova, “Rafa Benitez had a meeting with James Rodríguez in which he told him ‘I’m not counting on you, you’re not going to play with me’.
“He’s looking for an exit from Everton. He would love to stay, he likes the Premier League, but if he is not going to play, he needs to find a way out.”
Sudden
From what we were seeing from pre-season, things appeared to be fine between Benitez and Rodriguez with the Spaniard keen on giving him a chance to prove his worth at the club.
We do not have too many players in our side who have played the big games for Europe’s elite clubs and Rodriguez is certainly one of them.
He’s got the ability to grab the game by the scruff of its neck and make something happen out of nothing.
The Colombian is also an extremely versatile player and even though he has to be carried off the ball on occasions, he brings a lot of finesse on the ball and we look like creating a telling opportunity to find the back of the net.
Hopefully, there isn’t too much to this because if it turns out to be true, there’s a good chance we’ve seen him play his final professional game in an Everton jersey.
In other Everton news, Pundit wants Everton to sign 30y/o to win over fans, offer reportedly tabled already
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