James Rodriguez has admitted he would have liked to have stayed at Everton in the summer and insisted Rafael Benitez was the reason behind his departure.
The Colombia international became one of the most high-profile transfers in the club's history in the summer of 2020, making the move to Goodison Park to re-join former coach Carlo Ancelotti.
The playmaker went on to score six goals and claim five assists in 23 Premier League appearances across the course of the 2020/21 season.
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However, after the departure of Ancelotti and the arrival of Benitez at Goodison Park, opportunities for Rodriguez became much more limited.
He eventually secured a switch to Qatari club Al-Rayyan in the summer transfer window after it became clear he would not be utilised on Merseyside.
However, in quotes shared by Fabrizio Romano on Twitter, the 30-year-old has claimed he would have liked to have stayed at Goodison for longer than he did.
Rodriguez said: "I would have liked to have been at Everton for much longer.
"It’s a spectacular club, the fans are incredible, but I ran into a coach who didn’t want to count on me. I wanted to be there.
"Unfortunately, the coach didn’t want to count on me."
Benitez was sacked as Everton's manager last month, with Frank Lampard taking charge on deadline day of the January transfer window.
