James Rodriguez has admitted he would welcome a return to Everton.
Rodriguez became the marquee signing of Carlo Ancelotti’s only full season in charge at Goodison Park when he arrived from Real Madrid in summer 2020.
But Ancelotti’s return to the current La Liga leaders and the Blues appointing Rafael Benitez led to the Colombia international becoming an isolated figure.
He eventually joined Qatari outfit Al-Rayyan, bringing down the curtain on a spell which saw six goals and five assists in 23 Premier League appearances.
Now, the 30-year-old has pinpointed Benitez’s refusal to utilise him as the reason for his Everton exit and spoken warmly about his time on Merseyside.
“I would have liked to have been at Everton for much longer,” Rodriguez said on his official Twitch stream.
“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.
“But I’d come back, why not? I left everything (on the pitch), I always trained, worked and the Everton fanbase is very big and supports well.”