Former Everton midfielder James Rodriguez has revealed that he wanted to stay at the club despite Rafa Benitez pushing to sell the Colombian international.
Speaking on his official Twitch channel, the former Real Madrid star claimed that he wanted to remain with the Toffees, however, Benitez was eager to offload Rodriguez as he didn’t fit into the Spaniard’s plans.
Rodriguez was frozen out of the Everton squad almost immediately after the arrival of the now-former Toffees boss, with the 30-year-old not featuring in any matchday before being sold to Qatar in early September.
The saga was ugly and split the Everton fanbase into factions, and the departure of Rodriguez summed up Benitez’s overall reign at the Merseyside club, with the decision being one that reflects poorly on the Premier League side.
And as for Rodriguez, the reason behind his loss was entirely down to Benitez, with the South American superstar revealing that the former Napoli manager was the main cause for his premature departure from Goodison Park.
Rodriguez said: “I would have liked to have been at Everton for much longer. It’s a spectacular club, the fans are incredible, but I ran into someone who didn’t want to trust me. I wanted to be there. Unfortunately, the coach didn’t trust me.”
Rodriguez bombshell highlights deep-rooted problems at Everton
Things at Everton have gone from bad to worse since Benitez’s time at the club, and Rodriguez’s bombshell revelation about how he left the side shows just how deep these problems at the Toffees run.
Frank Lampard is set on repairing these issues at Everton, and Rodriguez’s treatment from Benitez should serve as a lesson to the club on how to handle players who no longer serve a purpose for the future.
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