Colombian Coach Hernan Dario Gomez has urged James Rodriguez to leave Real Madrid, but Faustino Asprilla believes the midfielder should fight for his place.
James’ failure to establish himself under Zinedine Zidane in the second half of last season has seen him linked with moves elsewhere, and his native Colombia are at odds over whether their talisman should stick or twist.
“My advice to James would be that it’s better for him to play for another team because the man [Zidane] has shown that he doesn’t want him,” veteran trainer Gomez told WIN Sports.
“He’s a world-class player and he should go to another team. It’s a very personal concept, he’s our idol and we want to see him play, but because this man doesn’t play him, I don’t like it.”
However, former Colombia striker Aprilla riposted to Cadena SER: “If I were James, I’d stay at Real Madrid and fight for my place.
“If you look at Madrid’s numbers under Zidane, they’re good. [Madrid] pulled to within a point of Barcelona and won the Champions League, but that still hasn’t convinced madridistas.
“Real Madrid haven’t played well, so it’s for this reason that James should play more. He has a lot of quality and could safely play in any position.”
