“Always thinking about country” – Everton player said to be prioritising fitness for national side

James Rodríguez has missed out on Everton’s last two league matches against Aston Villa and West Ham United due to a calf injury.

The 29-year-old hurt his calf during the pre-match warm up against Dean Smith’s side on May 4th.

In his pre-match press conference for the Hammers clash, Carlo Ancelotti said the playmaker will return to training this week.

The Merseyside club have four more matches left in this campaign, but the Colombia international’s focus is on the upcoming fixtures with his country in June.

This is stated by Rodríguez’s former national teammate, Carlos Valdés, who held an informal chat with the Everton player last week.

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“I spoke with James and he told me that he was thinking about being well, about being recovered to reach the Colombian national team for the World Cup qualifiers. He is always thinking about his country,” Valdés told ESPN, relayed by Gol Caracol.

La Tricolor will play their first match under the orders of new national team coach Reinaldo Rueda against Peru, and then face Argentina in the World Cup followers in June.

It’s then followed by the matches in the 2021 Copa América, which will be co-hosted by Colombia.