Stephen Warnock told Sky Sports News (09/08/21 at 12:15 pm) that James Rodriguez will be ‘stuck’ at Everton for another season.
The former left-back, who worked under Rafa Benitez at Anfield, shared that Rodriguez is ‘not a Rafa player’.
The 30-year-old arrived at Goodison Park last summer from Real Madrid when Carlo Ancelotti brought him to the club.
But whilst life at Everton started off in a strong fashion, it soon faded away and there have been suggestions that he could leave this summer.
Ahead of the new Premier League season, Warnock shared how Rodriguez is a player that can change the course of the game in an instance.
“First and foremost, he’s not a Rafa player,” said Warnock. “Which is probably not what he wants to hear.
“But he’s a game-changer. Whether you use him sparingly off the bench. You know his qualities. He can change the game in a blink of an eye. Every time he gets on the ball, he’s looking to play the forward pass. The killer pass.
“What he lacks in work rate and tactical ability, he makes up for in other ways because he can change the game for you.
“But with the money he is on, will anybody come in for him and say ‘we really need a James Rodriguez in our team’? I think he might be stuck there for another season.”
A big season awaits Rodriguez because if things don’t start off well then it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him out of the door by January.
The 2014 World Cup star arrived on Merseyside with a big reputation, but that hasn’t been met.
But with more pace added to Everton flanks, with the signings of Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray, it will be interesting to see how Rodriguez links up with those players.
Not forgetting Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who was one of the standout strikers in the Premier League last season.
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