James clings on to Real Madrid future

James Rodríguez refuses to quit. The Colombian’s Bernabéu exit appears imminent, Zidane has asked the club to find a buyer, yet he continues to cling on to a future at Real Madrid.

Asensio blocks James' path

It appears unlikely that Zidane will reconsider his decision. Marco Asensio’s explosion on to the scene has reduced James’ chances of regular football, with the French coach eager to allow Asensio as much playing-time as possible to develop.

Yet, rather than displaying an apathetic attitude, James has impressed in the last month, with three goals in two matches for Los Blancos in an attempt to recover the form he showed in his first season at Madrid. 

In 2014-15, James showed the Bernabéu crowd the true extent of his ability. Off the back of a sensational 2014 World Cup in Brazil, he scored 17 goals and provided a further 18 assists in 46 matches for Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian coach has proved to be the only manager capable of teasing the best from James; James has not reached similar heights under Benítez, nor Zidane.

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Rodríguez faces crucial month

Only a spectacular final month of the season will be sufficient to change Real Madrid’s stance. James is aware of how crucial the next few weeks are, regardless of whether he remains in Chamartín or moves to pastures new.

Nevertheless, the former-Monaco midfielder’s statistics this season are not to be sniffed at. Despite finding himself on the periphery of Zinedine Zidane’s plans (he has played 1,583 minutes, only Pepe, Mariano, and Coentrao have played less), James has found the net nine times, and assisted for his team-mates a further 13 times. One would expect Europe’s heavweights to track his final month with keen attention…

Update 12 May 2017: James has reached an initial agreement with Manchester United.

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