Rafael Benitez has cited James Rodriguez’s fitness record in the reason for his Everton departure.
Rodriguez joined Qatari outfit Al Rayyan on Wednesday for an undisclosed fee, bringing the curtain down on an inconsistent 12 months with the Blues.
He started 10 of the opening 11 Premier League games last term but was a peripheral figure for the remaining 27, starting just 11, due to a calf problem.
And Benitez admitted that Everton could not afford the luxury of the Colombia international, whose salary is understood to have been £200,000 per week.
He said: “When you have a player, with the situation we have, that can be available for 50% of the games overall in the Premier League it’s not something we can manage easily.
“The reality now is that the player is happy because he has an option and he is pleased with that.
“We had to maximise our resources. We could see the injury record and the thing that we would need for the team.
“Hopefully we can use this move for another kind of player that will be fine for us.
“Hopefully he is happy, he will score goals and can play well there, but it is something that we needed to do to be sure that we could move forward.”
Rodriguez’s sale has freed up funds for the January transfer window but Benitez is keen to shift Everton’s recruitment criteria away from just big names.
“We have an owner that wants to spend money,” added the Spaniard.
“After my last experience in the Premier League, not spending any money [at Newcastle], it is great to have owners with this spirit.
“Now it is important that when the new transfer window arrives, we are ready.
“We know what we need. We have to bring the balance between top-class players and the players that want to be here.
“They want to be here in the winter, when it is snowing and when it is cold, not just during the summer; players who really have the passion and desire to fight for us.
“But they also need the quality to make a difference.
“It has to be players who will perform – not just bringing in names.”