James Rodriguez has revealed that he would be open to a return to Everton and has again claimed he wanted to remain at the club last summer.
Rodriguez was a marquee signing for the Blues during the 2020 summer transfer window, as the former Real Madrid star was reunited with Carlo Ancelotti for a third time.
However, despite displaying moments of pure quality throughout his debut season, Rodriguez’s future at the club was immediately plunged into doubt following Ancelotti’s departure.
The Colombian then fell out of favour at Everton following the arrival of Rafa Benitez after the Spaniard replaced Ancelotti.
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Benitez told the 30-year-old, not long after his arrival, that he was free to leave the Goodison Park club if a suitable offer was made for him.
Everton had hoped to use Rodriguez as a makeweight in a deal to bring Luis Diaz from Porto to Goodison but he could not reach an agreement with his former club.
Instead, Rodriguez joined Qatari side Al-Rayyan for an undisclosed fee, and left the Blues having failed to make an appearance in front of a crowd at Goodison.
And now opening up on his time at Everton, Rodriguez has revealed he would be open to returning to the club and has told how he was forced out by Benitez.
"Go back to Everton one day? Of course I would go back to Everton. It's a spectacular club with incredible fans, but I found a coach who didn't want to count on me,” he said on Twitch.
"I wanted to stay there but the manager didn't want to count on me. Until the last day I was super-professional and I trained to the fullest.
"I wanted to be remembered as I am, a good person and a great professional. It was the coach's decision. Some people love you and others don't, you have to respect that."
