Yesterday, Carlo Ancelotti said James Rodriguez would be injured for Everton’s trip to face Southampton on Sunday.
Everton’s official website reported he was out of the match on the south coast.
But as they say, 24 hours is a long time in football and now the landscape has changed.
Ancelotti had a far more optimistic outlook today (Friday) having seen the Colombian train, and said he could be in contention for the weekend.
“He is not definitely out,” Ancelotti said of Rodriguez as per Everton’s official Twitter account. “Fortunately, his recovery was really good.
“He trained today, just partial training session. I hope he’s going to train tomorrow, and we will see if he is in condition to play on Sunday.
“It’s really better now, and we have confidence that maybe he can play.”
That’s quite the turnaround and if Rodriguez is fit, it would boost Ancelotti’s hopes of getting that weekend win.
Rodriguez has galvanized the entire club since his arrival, similar to what Bruno Fernandes did at Manchester United.
With Richarlison already suspended, changing both wingers and losing two-thirds of his rampant front three would have been a blow for Ancelotti.
Even if he’s only fit for a cameo off the bench, that would give Southampton to worry about.
It’s not often a player is ruled out and then ruled back in, but you’re unlikely to catch many Everton fans complaining.
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