Reported Newcastle United target James Rodriguez continues to struggle at Real Madrid and Magpies legend Faustino Asprilla believes his fellow Colombian should have done more to secure a permanent move to Bayern Munich last summer, speaking to Blu Radio.
It seems that the days of the lock-picking ‘number ten’ are numbered.
It is surely coincidence that Philippe Coutinho, Mario Goetze and James Rodriguez, three of the most admired footballers on the planet not so long ago, find themselves out of favour and heading out of the door in exactly the same summer.
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The rise of high-octane, high-pressing football appears to have left players like Rodriguez, supremely talented but sluggish , on the outside looking in.
The £63 million Galactico has started just six La Liga games all season and, with all due respect, claims from Mundo Deportivo in May that he is a summer target for Newcastle highlights how far he has fallen.
Asprilla is desperate to see Colombia’s most talented footballer get his career back on track.
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But, according to an always outspoken figure, Rodriguez would have been better off turning his loan spell in Bavaria into a permanent transfer.
“It seemed very strange to me that James decided not to stay at Bayern Munich. These are the consequences of bad decisions. What is one’s happiness? The happiness of a footballer is playing. They valued him more there,” Asprilla says.
“I went to Newcastle. Where could be stranger? (But) I didn’t get bored because I was happy where I was playing football.”
With that in mind, you would think that Asprilla would be thrilled to see James take his dazzling technical ability to St James’ Park this summer.
Newcastle may be in no position to fight for the game’s biggest prized any time soon but at least one of the game’s most high-profile benchwarmers would have the freedom and the love he so badly needs on Tyneside.
In other news, 'Great move for him': £4m star backed to join Celtic after 32-goal season