New Everton boss remains tight-lipped about James Rodriguez’s potential move out of Goodison Park this summer. While the Spaniard admires James’ ability with the ball and creativity, he is concerned over his fitness concerns. The Colombian playmaker had a great start to life in England but then injuries and drop in form have been the reason for his downfall at Merseyside.
James also struggled to settle down in England despite coming to the Premier League with Carlo Ancelotti. The Colombian also had problems with injuries, which did not allow him to feature in this year’s Copa America.
Current speculations linking him to AC Milan or a move back to Spain is being mooted, but Benitez refuses to give away any information regarding the former Real Madrid midfielder.
“At the beginning of the pre-season, it is not easy.
“I think you can see he has the quality on the ball but still his fitness is not what we are expecting, so it is normal at this time.
“So, we will see, obviously, we have more training sessions and more games so we will see how he is going on and every player. It depends on them, if they can make a difference or not.
“But at the moment it is seeing how they progress and how they can improve but nobody can argue about the quality of James.”
The 30-year-old ended the last season with six goals and eight assists in 26 appearances for the club in all competitions. While his current contract runs down till June 2022, the club will have to cash in on the South American or tie him up on a new deal if the manager decides to trust in his abilities.
However, there are arguments that Rodriguez provided the Toffees with a great attacking outlet. His arrival in England propelled Everton to a fantastic start but after his injury things went southward for the club from Merseyside. Everton had a forgetful second half of the season, and many fans feel that he Rodriguez is the club’s most skilful player, and losing him without bringing in any replacement will be a disaster.
But in all likelihood, the 30-year-old will leave the English Premier League and may join AC Milan, who are highly interested in roping the Colombian playmaker. Serie A giants looks like his next destination as the Rossoneri are looking to bring him in as a replacement for Hakan Calhanoglu.
The Turkey international had a great last season with the Rossoneri, and now he has shockingly jumped ship to join arch-rivals Internazionale. While AC Milan would like to sign someone who is younger and would demand lower wages, the idea of getting someone as crafty as Rodriguez has beaten all aspects.
