Rayo Vallecano President Raul Martin Presa has done his best to halt rumours of a January exit for James Rodriguez. The Colombia star and this year’s Copa America Player of the Tournament has barely played since joining Rayo in the summer.
However Rodriguez himself calmed rumours of a disagreement between himself and the club or manager Inigo Perez. It had been rumoured in the Spanish capital that an interview, during which he hinted he might not be playing as his style might not suit Perez’s plans, had not gone down well in Vallecas.
“Bad? No, no, I’m fine. Very well. The call-up against Madrid? Nothing, nothing… I’m not going to say anything.”
Rodriguez was left out of the Rayo squad to face Real Madrid on Saturday, with Isi Palazon playing as a number 10 and excelling in that role. Presa said that Rodriguez would be staying for the rest of the season though, as quoted by Diario AS.
“James is a Rayo Vallecano player, and he will continue to be one.”
So far the 33-year-old has featured for just 205 minutes, including only two starts – one of which came against lower league opposition in the Copa del Rey. Rodriguez arrived to plenty of fanfare, but has struggled to impress Perez, and has not played for more than a month in La Liga.
