James Rodriguez was seen as quite a coup when he first joined Everton, but the 30-year-old now has an uncertain future at Goodison Park after an eventful summer – James followed Carlo Ancelotti to Everton last season but saw his ex-Real Madrid manager return to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer.
The Colombian international told ESPN in April that Ancelotti was the only reason he joined the Toffees, so things were up in the air following his departure in June.
Everton even tried to sell James before the summer transfer window shut, but the player blocked a move to Istanbul Basaksehir – the Super Lig club sit second from bottom in the table without a point from their first three games this season.
James may have been open to a move away from Everton if it was a step up than step down, but he’ll now have to stay on Merseyside until January at the earliest. The 30-year-old has recently recovered from injury too, so Rafael Benitez will finally have his playmaker available.
The £25m-rated man has scored six goals and made nine assists in 26 games for Everton since his 2020-move from Real, so he will be a useful player when fit for selection. His deal is up at the end of the season too, so this may be his final campaign in England.
Time will tell. James will need to impress under Benitez to put himself in the shop window.
Read: Malang Sarr has uncertain Chelsea future after being frozen out under Thomas Tuchel
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