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Mark Lawrenson says Everton have a ‘brilliant talent’ in their ranks, but there’s a problem
Everton forward James Rodriguez has been described as a “brilliant player” by Mark Lawrenson ahead of the Toffees’ FA Cup quarter-final tie this weekend.
However, the BBC Sport pundit also spoke of the Everton star’s fitness struggles, worrying how the Blues don’t seem to be able to get him fully fit.
Rodriguez joined Everton from Real Madrid in September, linking up once again with Carlo Ancelotti, a manager with whom he has a great working relationship.
The 29-year-old hit the ground running on Merseyside, claiming three goals and three assists in his opening five Premier League games.
To date, Rodriguez has made 21 appearances for Everton, registering five goals and eight assists, though he’s not been playing recently as he looks to recover from a series of knocks.
Previewing Everton’s FA Cup tie with Manchester City at Goodison Park this Saturday, Lawrenson wrote on : “Everton just can’t win at home in the Premier League.
“Last weekend’s defeat by Burnley was their seventh in 14 league games there this season – although all three of their FA Cup wins so far have come at Goodison Park.
“The Toffees also don’t seem to be able to get James Rodriguez fully fit.
“The Colombian is a brilliant talent but he has only started three of their past 10 games, and has not played more than 70 minutes in any of them.
“Rodriguez is injured at the moment and Manchester City look so good with the way they are set up, and the way they are playing, that it is hard to see Everton stopping them.”
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Rodriguez has been superb for Everton since arriving, but he’s not been able to completely shake off a number of knocks he’s had, hence his current time on the sidelines.
The forward provided an update last week on Twitch – as translated by – saying he had to “recover from all these discomforts” and had a couple of days to go.
Once he’s back from his spell on the sidelines, Rodriguez will hopefully be back in top form and can help Everton work their way back into the Champions League places.