Everton: James Rodriguez could miss games against Burnley and Aston Villa

James Rodriguez arrived as a statement signing under Carlo Ancelotti, a player who was potentially the leading light that would guide Everton to European football. Rodriguez brought imagination and unquestionable creativity, vision to cut through defences and supply the forwards with silky through balls.

This was a huge coup that sent the Everton fans into dreamland. The Colombian started off his Everton career in fine fashion and was influential in every game he featured in. However, the tide turned in the second half of the season, troubled by injuries and niggles, missing games and struggling to cope with the busy schedule.

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There was still hope that the next season will be a better one as James fully recovers from his troubling issues. However, Ancelotti left Merseyside shockingly leaving James in limbo. He came here for the Italian boss but with Ancelotti’s departure, it was unclear whether the 30 year old will be willing to continue at Goodison Park.

His agent, Jorge Mendes, pushed to find a new destination, talking with Napoli, AC Milan and Atletico Madrid. The super-agent also held a meeting with Paolo Maldini and Frederic Massara but in the end, AC Milan went cold on the idea of signing the former Real Madrid man.

Istanbul Basaksehir were trying to sign James Rodriguez on loan from Everton

Resolute on his wage expectations, James failed to move out of Merseyside. With transfer window still open in Turkey and Russia, there were chances that the 30 year old could entertain offers from one of the aforementioned countries. In fact, Istanbul Basaksehir have already approached the Toffees with a season long loan offer but Rodriguez doesn’t seem too keen to play in Turkey. His hefty £200,000+ per week wages adds another problem to the negotiations.

It now appears James might land in trouble at Everton once again. Not being called up for the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers saw the former Porto man vacation in Ibiza during the ongoing international break. His trip to the Spanish holiday island could prove to be expensive.

With him likely to stay at Everton until January, the fans expected him to feature for the team and give them moments of undeterred joy. However, his debut under Rafa Benitez could now further be pushed back due to disciplinary reasons.

James Rodriguez might miss two Everton games

According to Marca, James could be forced into isolation after breaking the Everton health bubble. As per the publication, when a player breaks the bubble and interacts with several, the player has to comply with the rules and undergo a two week isolation period. James will have to train alone, apart from the group and with less intensity while not being able to feature in the team.

He will miss the home game against Burnley and the away trip to Aston Villa, pushing his debut under Benitez either till the QPR tie or Norwich based on his isolation schedule. Summer has been full of controversies for James which will not go down well with the supporters. From pushing for an exit to not knowing who Everton were playing on the second match day, Rodriguez might be treading on dangerous grounds.

He missed the first three Premier League games as he was isolating along with few other Everton players. It is still unclear as to how Rafa Benitez will incorporate the Colombian into the team. He’s too expensive to be left out on the bench and still commands supreme quality that can aid Everton in difficult games.

Will James Rodriguez leave the Toffees in January?