Everton youngster Kyle John is in awe of Goodison Park teammate James Rodriguez, telling the Toffees’ website it has been a special experience to come up against the “unbelievable” Colombian in training.
A former £63 million Real Madrid superstar and World Cup Golden Boot winner with multiple Champions League medals, James is one of those rare players who tends to elevate all those around him.
Everton are a far better, far more threatening team when their 29-year-old talisman is strutting his stuff, winning away at Liverpool for the first time this century while taking four points off Tottenham Hotspur and drawing 3-3 at Old Trafford.
And for John, it felt like a pinch-me moment when he found himself sharing a training pitch with this galactico turned Goodison Park favourite.
“It has to be James in training – 100 per cent,” the 20-year-old said when asked to name the best player he has come up against.
“I remember watching him as a kid when he was in the World Cup so to be training with him is unbelievable. He just drifts across the pitch. And nothing fazes him when he’s got the ball. He’s special.”
John, a talented right-back, has been included in Carlo Ancelotti’s matchday squad on five occasions in 2020/21, although he has yet to be rewarded with a first-team debut in that famous royal blue shirt.
“He’s got terrific pace, which is fantastic for any young player to have,” Everton U23 boss David Unsworth said last year after John signed his first professional contract with the Merseyside giants.
“He’s a great lad – he’s honest and we expect a lot from him.”
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