James Rodriguez is reportedly ready to force a move to Manchester United after falling out with his Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane
The Daily Mirror have reported that Real Madrid outcast James Rodriguez has issuesd a ‘Come and get me’ plea to Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, after falling out with his Los Blancos boss Zinedine Zidane this week.
James Rodriguez sealed a dream £63 million move to Real Madrid from AS Monaco in 2014, after an impressive outing for Colombia in the FIFA World Cup, where he won the Golden Ball for being the best player in the tournament.
And it looked like it was going to be a match made in heaven, after Rodriguez scored 13 goals in 29 league starts for Los Blancos in his first season. However, Zinedine Zidane’s appointment in the second half of last season saw the Colombian being relegated to the bench.
This season things have gone from bad to worse, as Rodriguez has managed to start just eight games in all competitions so far, with Zidane favouring the likes of Isco, Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez over the Colombia international.
As he struggled to get minutes under his belt, Rodriguez said last month that he was considering offers from other clubs and was open to a move away from Real Madrid. But that was all rebuffed earlier this month, as Rodriguez’s father insisted that his son will be staying put at the Santiago Bernabeu.
That seemed to have put a spring in his step, as earlier this week Rodriguez hit a brace to inspire Real Madrid to an emphatic 3-0 win over Sevilla in a Copa Del Rey last 16 encounter. However, he was back to the bench and saw just 45 minutes of action as his side ran 5-0 winners over Granada.
Premier League rivals Manchester United and Chelsea are reported to be have monitored Rodriguez’s situation at Madrid, with both Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho keen to add reinforcements in their attacks.
However, according to the report by the Mirror Rodriguez prefers Manchester United over Premier League leaders Chelsea, and would favour to make the move to Old Trafford in the winter transfer window instead of waiting for the window to reopen in the summer.
His agent Jorge Mendes initiated talks with the Manchester United hierarchy and the super agent’s ties with Mourinho could see Rodriguez get tantalisingly close to a move to the English giants.
Indeed, with the likes of Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin looking closer to the Old Trafford exit door, Mourinho could make a move for Rodriguez and add definite quality to his midfield. So while the ball is in Mourinho’s court, it remains to be seen whether the Portuguese will make a move to free Rodriguez from his Real Madrid nightmare.
