Leeds United’s summer signing Rodrigo has been a major disappointment in Marcelo Bielsa’s side since his arrival from Valencia.
That is the view taken by former Leeds star Carlton Palmer, who issued a less-than-glowing view of the Spaniard.
Arriving with a hefty £26 million price tag, the 30-year-old attacker is Leeds’ club-record signing – but in an injury-plagued season and with just three goals in 21 appearences, Palmer feels Rodrigo has more to offer.
Speaking to FootballFanCast, Palmer offered a brutally candid assessment of the striker’s impact: “Listen, when you sign players, you can do your homework, you can do everything about that player. The Premier League is a different ball game, but it doesn’t matter even about the Premier League.
“Sometimes the players hit the ground running, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes the signings work, sometimes they don’t, that is a fact.
“Rodrigo is one of those that hasn’t worked out. As a manager, if you get seven out of 10 of your signings that work, you’re doing very well. If you’re getting less than seven, you’ll be out of work.”
Issuing a caveat to his claim, Palmer added: “It doesn’t mean they’re bad players. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out at a football club.”
Reports in Spain have since linked Rodrigo with a move back to Spain with his spot in the Spain national team looking to be in doubt ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Playing second fiddle to Patrick Bamford, Rodrigo faces a race against time to provide a contrasting account of his talents against the claims of his critics.
A failure to do so could cause a less-than-magnanimous future as he enters his seasoned years.
In other news: Leeds a ‘perfect home’ for in-form striker