'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has been slammed by Faustino Asprilla over his treatment of James Rodríguez. Asprilla, a former Colombia international, was critical of the Frenchman's treatment of his compatriot and reserved some harsh words for him.
Rodríguez's stock has seen a remarkable drop since Zidane arrived at the helm of Real Madrid. The midfielder failed to impress the Frenchman and was shipped away Bayern Munich on a two-year loan deal. Despite a relatively successful spell in Germany, the Bavarians sent Rodríguez back to the Spanish capital. It has been widely reported now that Real Madrid now want to get him off their books to raise funds and trim down a hefty wage bill.
Asprilla hints at favouritism towards Real Madrid academy players
Asprilla firmly disagrees with the Real Madrid manager's decision of leaving his compatriot out. He believes that Zidane and other coaches only talk about equality for the players, but that isn't necessarily the case in reality. The 50-year-old began;
"James [Rodríguez] is not irresponsible, he trains every day just like everyone else. The coaches say the same thing, 'we are all the same', to give the substitutes motivation. They have their 3 or 4 players that always come in."
Asprilla also hinted at the favouritism at play in terms of team selection and bringing players off the bench. The former Newcastle United striker said players from Real Madrid's academy such as Mariano shouldn't be above the likes of his compatriot in the pecking order. It is for this season that Asprilla has made his disrespect for Zidane clear, saying that he wants him to 'eat s**t'. He continued,
"There are players who come from below at Real Madrid and don't tell me that the scorer at a World Cup [Rodríguez] is below Mariano, I don't know who... You have to respect a little bit. James because he has patience, but I send Zidane to eat shit. That is no longer James' nobility."
The former Monaco midfielder was never evidently in Zidane's plans as he opted for the more defensive-minded Casemiro along with metronomes Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. Rodríguez saw just 17 starts in the 2015/16 season and 13 the following season in LaLiga before his loan move to Munich. Upon his return, he has only managed four Real Madrid starts in the league until March.
While there have been rumours of Real Madrid offering him to other clubs, there is a good possibility of Rodríguez needing to take a pay cut on his enormous wages. At 28, the playmaker could still rediscover his form and get his career back on track elsewhere.
Zidane, however, is adamant that he can 'count on' James despite having given him just 341 minutes of LaLiga football this campaign. The Real Madrid manager commented;
"I'm going to count on him [James Rodríguez] and he's training well. Let's see when it's time to play. There is a lot of level between one and the other players. It is true that I was not playing much."
Real Madrid return to LaLiga action against Valencia on Thursday night.
