Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch has said that it is a shame he didn't meet Whites' star Rodrigo earlier in his coaching career - with the American claiming he could have tapped into his potential and made the Spaniard 'one of the best players in the world'.
Rodrigo has long been hyped as an international star, dating back as far as 2009 when he joined Real Madrid's youth team aged 18. Failing to make the grade at the Santiago Bernabeu, the Brazil-born star had two successful spells at Iberian giants Benfica and Valencia before making the switch to Elland Road in what was a club record move.
A slow first season in Yorkshire for Rodrigo had fans sceptical of his influence throughout the Marcelo Bielsa era; though an increase in form coinciding with the appointment of Marsch in February has seen the former Bolton Wanderers loanee establish himself as an key member of the squad. And Marsch believes that had he worked with Rodrigo from a young age whilst he was on the books in the Spanish capital, he could have made Leeds' No.19 'one of the best players in the world'.
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"A big part of uncovering the potential of players is uncovering the potential of the people. You have to get to know players to really unearth the potential of their personality, within what their qualities are as a player," Marsch told The Athletic.
"And that’s often the fun for me of being a coach. A lot of times with me it’s young players, but that’s not always the case.
"We have Rodrigo at Leeds, and he’s 31 and I’ve even had a conversation with him at one point and said it’s too bad I didn’t know him when he was 18 because I could have helped make him one of the best players in the world — I truly believe that. But in the process at Leeds, we’re still uncovering new potentials for him and he’s committed and adapted incredibly well.
"But to do that I’ve had to really get to know Rodrigo as a person and what makes him tick. What are his vulnerabilities? What are his insecurities? What things make him stronger? What are the things he likes?"
Since Marsch took the hot seat at Elland Road, Rodrigo has scored 12 Premier League goals in just 25 games; with nine of those coming this campaign. Based on that evidence, there could well be merit in Marsch's claim.
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