James Rodriguez Real Madrid 2019-20Getty Images

‘James needs to be patient; Zidane respects him’ – Roberto Carlos hoping Colombian remains at Real Madrid

Roberto Carlos has urged James Rodriguez to be patient at Real Madrid, with the Colombian told that Zinedine Zidane “has a lot of respect” for him despite a lack of game time sparking further rounds of transfer talk.

The South American playmaker returned to Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2019 after completing a two-year loan spell at Bayern Munich.

Having impressed in Germany, the expectation was that James would be welcomed back into the fold by the Blancos.

Article continues below

He has, however, taken in just 13 appearances across all competitions this season – with only four of those being La Liga starts.

Real boss Zidane has favoured other creative options on a regular basis, leaving James frustrated and mulling over his options.

A move elsewhere has been mooted, with long-standing interest having been held in his services by leading sides in the Premier League, while a crossing of a fierce divide to Atletico has also been discussed.

Plenty have called on James to consider pushing for the exits in Madrid, but Roberto Carlos believes the 28-year-old should avoid rushing into any future calls and focus instead on earning favour in his current surroundings.

The legendary Blancos left-back told BLU Radio: "Zidane has a lot of respect for James.

"He makes lots of rotations and whenever James comes on he always does well.

James Rodriguez Real Madrid

"The most important thing now is that he keeps on training as well as he has been and that he maintains the confidence he has in himself.

"The fans love him.

"To tell you the truth, I care for him and, whenever I see him, I give him a big hug. He has done so much for this club and even more for his country."

James was snapped up by Real on the back of his eye-catching showing at the 2014 World Cup.

He has taken in 124 appearances for the club, scoring 37 goals, but fellow countryman Ivan Cordoba is among those who believe a fresh challenge should be taken on.

The ex-Inter star has told the Daily Mail: “James Rodriguez is the best player for us Colombians.

“It depends on him - he has everything he needs to do well. I wish James would go to England because there are so many interesting options for him. 

“James is already at one of the best teams in Real Madrid, but the Premier League would be a great destination.”

Advertisement