James Rodriguez points finger of blame at Rafa Benitez for acrimonious Everton exit

Rooney says he would love to manage Man Utd or Everton

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Former Everton midfielder James Rodriguez has blamed Rafa Benitez for his summer exit and admitted he wanted to stay on Merseyside for ‘much longer’. Rodriguez was one of a few players Benitez froze out at Goodison Park during his stint, and his departure only fuelled discontent amongst fans with the Spaniard’s appointment.

Carlo Ancelotti brought the two-time Champions League-winning playmaker to Everton in a significant coup ahead of the 2020/21 season.

Rodriguez, 30, signed a two-year deal with the Toffees, becoming the highest-paid player in the club’s history.

He registered six goals and eight assists in 26 appearances in total, but his exit seemed inevitable after Ancelotti’s sudden Real Madrid return.

And Benitez made it clear that Rodriguez wasn’t in his plans before sanctioning his move to Qatari club Al Rayyan for an undisclosed fee.

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However, Benitez lasted less time at Everton than Rodriguez after being sacked in January and replaced by Frank Lampard.

And now, the former Real and Bayern Munich ace has thrown shade at his former boss over the nature of his departure.

“I would have liked to have been at Everton for much longer,” Rodriguez explained on a recent Twitch stream.

“It’s a spectacular club, the fans are incredible, but I ran into a coach who didn’t want to count on me. I wanted to be there. Unfortunately, the coach didn’t want to count on me.”

Rodriguez’s former teammate Richarlison has admitted Benitez’s harsh treatment of the Colombian and Lucas Digne has ‘weighed’ on the squad amid a difficult season so far.

He told TNT Sports: “When I arrived from the Olympics, I was even surprised at how much he [Rodriguez] was running and dedicating himself to training, training well.

“And out of nowhere, the coach [Benitez] said he didn’t count on him anymore. And nobody understood anything. So I think that also weighed a little on the group because we know about James’ quality.

“Also from [Lucas] Digne, who we ended up losing. So it weighs, it weighs. Like it or not, it weighs on the group. We had a united group there and ended up losing two important players. So I think that’s it. James, we wish him all the best.”

Everton have endured a dismal season and are currently sitting in 16th in the Premier League, just four points outside of the relegation zone.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez has impressed with his performances since joining Al Rayyan, scoring three goals and providing four assists in 10 games so far.

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