The Colombian playmaker needs to play with a chip on his shoulder.
Real Madrid’s lack of depth in the midfield line will be even more obvious now that Luka Modric is going to miss the team’s next two games after being sent off during the match against Celta Vigo. Isco Alarcon will be expected to replace Modric in the starting lineup but James Rodriguez and Fede Valverde will be Zinedine Zidane’s only midfielders sitting on the bench, something which will ultimately give James a chance to play for Los Blancos two years after leaving the club on a loan deal.
James was reported to be on his way out of Madrid all summer long but no club was willing to pay the €40 million Los Blancos wanted to get to let him go. Marco Asensio’s ACL injury and the good work completed by the Colombian midfielder throughout the preseason has given James the chance to stay in the Spanish capital and prove his worth, barring a late offer from Napoli to sign the player before the transfer deadline.
If James stays engaged while being a reserve, he could be a valuable asset for Zidane coming off the bench. It’s true that his two seasons with Bayern were a bit discouraging, but a time will come when Madrid will need to turn things around and create more chances, and James can do just that.
Zidane must find him some minutes so that James can prove that he can still make an impact and with Modric out of the squad for the next two games, now it might be the right time to let James show that he belongs.