Rafael Benitez has challenged James Rodriguez to prove his commitment to Everton.
Rodriguez appeared destined to leave Goodison Park in the summer transfer window following Carlo Ancelotti’s surprise defection back to Real Madrid.
The Colombia international has yet to feature for the Blues this season and is unlikely to be named in their match day squad for Monday’s visit of Burnley.
But Benitez, who worked with Rodriguez during a short-lived spell at the Bernabeu in 2015, has urged the playmaker to force his way into his plans.
He said: “I have seen what was going on at the end of the season, what was going on this season with some social media comments.
“It was not easy, because he was available in the transfer window. Now that we have just the Middle East window open, it’s not easy.
“I think he realised he has to improve in a lot of things. He has to focus, he has to show his commitment. That’s what he’s trying to do and that is good for us.
“If he stays with us, it’s good news for us because he can give us something more.
“We don’t have any doubt about his quality, we have to be sure that we have players playing for 90 minutes with the intensity we’re looking for.
“Each player has his characteristics, and some games where he can be the difference.
“If James is staying with us, we need to find the right games for him, and he has to show his commitment and his desire.
“It’s something his teammates, fans and staff are expecting for him. If he can do that, he can make a contribution for the team.”
Benitez also admitted that Financial Fair Play rules heavily impacted on Everton’s transfer activity as they spent just £1.5 million on Demarai Gray.
Goodison chiefs have attempted to whittle down their £265m losses in the past three financial years to meet the Premier League’s £105m threshold.
“We didn’t spend a lot of money, but we had good signings,” admitted Benitez.
“It could be better, yes, because if you have more money you can do it, but the financial fair play rules were killing us in this window.
“I was not expecting (this) at the beginning because I was thinking maybe we could sell some players and then we could do well in the window.
“Hopefully in the next window it will be different, but the players we brought in were players that we needed.
“Maybe we needed players in more positions, but it’s what we could do and I think we did quite well.
“When I say ‘next window’, hopefully it will be January if it’s necessary.
“If we are doing so well that in January we don’t need anybody, I think everybody will be happy here.”