On Tuesday, Alfredo Rolaño’s column in AS had an update on the situation of many players from Real Madrid and Atletico.
Speaking of James Rodriguez, he claimed the midfielder was not wanted by José Mourinho at Manchester United, since the manager would have Antoine Griezmann as his main target.
Colombian journalist Carlos Antonio Vélez was struck by the claim. During his stint on Radio Antena 2 on Wednesday, he revealed he heard the same thing last week after talking to his sources from Spain.
The claims is that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has personally told James Rodriguez not to get too excited with the Manchester United links because José Mourinho had turned down the transfer.
Vélez can’t see a clear reason why Mourinho wouldn’t want Rodriguez at Old Trafford, but when looking for arguments, he claims that the Portuguese manager’s teams usually work hard both in attack and in defence, something James isn’t necessarily associated with.
This is a mandatory quality for Premier League players, believes Vélez, and as James can’t go box-to-box, he won’t be good enough for Mourinho. The Colombian can’t be a ‘free spirit’ there, as claimed by the journalist.
