On July 8th, we relayed claims made in Spain that Rafael Benítez has asked Everton to sign a centre-back because he doesn’t trust Yerry Mina and his coaching staff weren’t pleased with his displays for the Merseyside club last season.
Marca in Colombia claim Carlo Ancelotti’s departure was ‘not good news’ for the defender and James Rodríguez, who are in the ‘middle of a hostile environment to achieve certain proposed goals’.
The former Liverpool manager’s arrival ‘raises certain concerns’ due to lack of patience he could have with the duo.
Prior to Benítez’s appointment at Real Madrid in in 2015, Rodríguez was a regular for Los Blancos, but found himself with fewer opportunities to shine once the Spaniard took over.
Therefore, the two players’ future is in doubt and they have been on the market for the last month or so.
Both the ex-Barcelona man and Rodríguez need to be at their best at the start of the season in order to receive a national team call up for September’s international break, and Marca state the Colombia international duo ‘need to stay focused and give their all’ to show Benítez that they can contribute at the English club.
Should this happen, the outlet adds it could open the door of the national team and win the support of La Tricolor fans.
