Thursday 25 August 2016 09:40, UK
James Rodriguez deserves more respect from Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane, according to his fellow Colombian Faustino Asprilla.
It appears that James is not part of Zidane's first-team plans and he has been strongly linked with a move away from the Bernabeu this summer.
The 25-year-old, who was signed for £63m in 2014, only featured as a late substitute in Real's opening game of the La Liga season against Real Sociedad.
And former Colombia international Asprilla told Onda Cero: "If today he has not been able to demonstrate his quality, it is because the coach does not have him in his plans.
"He is giving him very few minutes, and it is always a different thing if James goes out, or he doesn't, or he goes out with his wife, or he doesn't, or what he's going to eat.
"These are extra things that don't do anybody any good.
"Let James be able to say 'put me on three or four games straight', if he is not good enough and he plays badly, take him off and send him to the Castilla (Real's second team) or some other team, but give him the opportunity.
"He has lacked that confidence from Zidane and he needs a little bit more respect."
There has been speculation that both Chelsea and Liverpool are interested in the Colombia international.
And Asprilla added: "When he arrived at Real Madrid with [Carlo] Ancelotti, they gave him that chance and it's no coincidence that with the Italian he played better than when Zidane arrived and he played badly.
"We are talking about the top goalscorer from the last World Cup. One has to have a bit of patience and respect.
"Karim Benzema has six, seven years at Real Madrid and they should have sent him back to Lyon, but he battled it out and they waited for him."
