Everton were defeated in the visit to Aston Villa 3-0. Nevertheless, the news in the preview of the meeting again starred James Rodríguez. The Colombian was not even summoned by Rafa Benítez. For more than four months, the coffee midfielder has not played a minute with the English team. It is public and notorious that it is not part of the Spanish coach's plans. Nevertheless, on this occasion his absence from the call was due to physical problems, as Benítez himself explained after the meeting.
“For this game, I was a bit worried about a muscle issue. I had a little problem and we decided that we have to wait, so it was not available. That's it. We will see if he is fit for the next game and then we will decide, ”Benítez told the media.
You have to go back to May 16 to see James playing a game with Everton. It was in a 1-0 home loss against Sheffield United. The Colombian started and played 78 minutes. Since then, he has not stepped on the pitch again in a game with the Liverpool team.