The 28-year-old won’t join up with his country for their upcoming friendlies against Chile and Algeria

Colombia manager Carlos Queiroz has said it was his decision to not call up James Rodriguez for his side’s upcoming friendlies. 

Queiroz’s comments came amid reports that Rodriguez had requested to not be called up for his country’s game against Chile on Saturday and their match against Algeria on October 15.

After spending two seasons on loan with Bayern Munich, Rodriguez has returned to Real Madrid this season and is working his way back into prominence with the Blancos. 

The 28-year-old has made seven appearances in all competitions for Real Madrid this season, scoring one goal and adding one assist. 

After Rodriguez did not get called up for Colombia’s upcoming friendlies, reports emerged that he had requested to stay in Madrid to prove his commitment to manager Zinedine Zidane. 

However, Queiroz has refuted those reports, insisting that he decided to leave Rodriguez out in order to give him some rest. 

“Some have said that James requested not to be called up, but that’s not the truth,” Queiroz said at a press conference.

“I’ve never had a player ask that. The decision is natural, it’s my decision.

“The players who are here correspond to the objectives we have, wanting to maintain a base of 15 or 16 players. We can’t be upset if one player or another one isn’t here.

“We can’t just stick with the most important references of each team. There’s a need to look for the future. I hope to have the best players ready for when we’ll be competing for three points.”

Colombia won’t be competing for three points for some time, with the next competitive match for the Cafeteros not coming until 2022 World Cup qualifiers begin in March. 

Real Madrid, meanwhile, will return from the international break on October 19 with a La Liga match against Mallorca at the Son Moix Stadium.

Zidane’s side are currently in first place in the Spanish top flight, having started the season with five wins and three draws from their first eight league matches. 

Barcelona are in second place, two points behind their great rivals, while Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid side are three points behind Madrid. 

Source:- Goal