The Liverpool Echo’s head of sport David Prentice has aired some reservations about the fitness of Everton’s Colombian midfielder James Rodriguez.
Since his arrival from Real Madrid, the 29-year-old middleman has made eight appearances for the Toffees in all competitions, in which he has scored three and assisted four (per Transfermarkt).
Seven of those appearances were in the Premier League, and over those outings, he has earned an impressive 7.84/10 average rating, making him their best-performing player (per WhoScored).
However, having missed Everton’s recent defeat to Newcastle United through injury, Rodriguez picked up a weak 6.31/10 rating upon his return to action against Manchester United at the weekend.
In a recent episode of the Liverpool Echo’s Royal Blue: The Everton FC Podcast, the Colombian’s unimpressive performance led Prentice to express some concern about Rodriguez’s fitness.
He said: “Carlo [Ancelotti] expressed reservations himself last week, didn’t he? When he said that, ‘James has told me that he’s fit.’ So, ‘I’m not sure that he’s 100% fit myself, but he’s fit enough to play.’
“So, if he’s not taking set-pieces – and that is one of the key parts of his armoury – and we’ve scored so many goals from his deliveries this season, that indicates that clearly, he isn’t absolutely fit at the moment.
“He was disappointing. I hesitate to say that, because just one flash of inspiration from him in a game can create a goal and turn things on its head, which is why we indulge him.
“He was sorely lacking in a number of moments in the game at the weekend and I think we have to just accept that he’s not going to be an absolute world-beater every week and if he’s not fully fit, we are going to see a little dip in performance.”
TIF Thoughts on what David Prentice said about James Rodriguez’s fitness…
Judging from what the journalist had to say, he clearly believes that even Ancelotti had reservations about the Colombian’s fitness prior to the clash with the Red Devils.
Do you think James Rodriguez's fitness could be a concern?
No, was just an off game
Yes, it's a bit of a worry
However, with Rodriguez having been Everton’s best-performing player in the top flight this season and made by far the most key passes per game for the Toffees (2.4), it is understandable why he still featured against United.
Hopefully, with Rodriguez set to take part in Colombia’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers, his recent return to fitness will not be impacted by the international break.