‘His attitude’ - former Everton staff member makes honest James Rodriguez claim

Former Everton head of director of medical services Danny Donachie scotched suggestions that James Rodriguez had a poor attitude during his time at Goodison Park.

The two-time Champions League winner completed a move to the Toffees from Real Madrid in September 2020 and reunited with then-manager Carlo Ancelotti. Certainly, it was somewhat of a coup for Everton to land Rodriguez, who’d also won two La Liga and two Bundesliga titles in his career and starred at the 2014 World Cup with Colombia.

Rodriguez displayed his mercurial talent while at Goodison Park but game-time was limited. In total, the attacking midfielder scored six goals and recorded nine assists in 26 appearances in all competitions.

Rodriguez missed a total of 14 Premier League games - including the final two matches of the 2020-21 season - and did not play in front of a Goodison crowd due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Some questioned the Colombia international’s temperament during his time at Everton before leaving for Qatari side Al-Rayyan in September 2021. But Donachie, speaking to the Unholy Trinity podcast, insists that wasn’t the case.

He said: “James is an unbelievable talent and probably one of the most talented players I've ever seen - if not the most talented. But his injury history was pretty bad when he came in so I had my concerns about that. We had a lot of dialogue about that with Marcel [Brands] and Carlo about whether he'd be able to sustain playing in the Premier League.

“In that respect, it wasn't plain sailing. When he came in and you see him training and playing, he was exceptional. It did get you excited when he was able to play. It's a shame for players like James who can't use their talent and play every week because if he'd have played every week at a full Goodison, it would have been electric. His talent is out of this world, he's incredible.

“There are some ideas about his attitude as well and I think it's absolute nonsense. His attitude is top-class. The thing that stopped him from performing is injuries and it's so often the case. It's really difficult when you've got a talent like that and you can't play and it's really hard for James. There was a lot of excitement in the training ground because he's just brilliant.”