Rodriguez reveals rejecting advances from Man United

James Rodriguez could’ve become a Red Devil early in his career but turned the chance down as he was against playing for a ‘club so big’.

Everton have been performing beyond expectations in the Premier League this season, and much of it could be attributed to the reinforcements they made to their squad over the summer.

James Rodriguez, in particular, has been elemental to the team’s recent good fortunes. He has made a flying start to life in new colors by scoring three goals and setting up further four in his first seven appearances.

The attacking midfielder was deemed surplus to requirements at Real Madrid and was supposedly offered to a number of clubs across Europe last summer.

Manchester United were reportedly also in the mix, and that was not the first time that they had been linked with his signing.

The Red Devils’ interest in the Colombian dates a decade back as he first emerged on their radar as a teenager in 2010.

United even tried to sign him in 2013, with one Sir Alex Ferguson looking to build his team around a new number 10 after having missed out on Eden Hazard a year before.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winner, however, opted to join Monaco instead, and only explains his decision years later speaking in Rio Ferdinand’s YouTube show ‘The Locker Room’.

“There was some kind of talk there. My agent (Jorge Mendes) has a great relationship with the club,” Rodriguez recalled.

“We always dreamed of getting to a big club, and since I was a child, I always admired Manchester. There were a lot of prodigious players and I wanted to get there in that year.

“But it didn’t happen. I thought I had to play for a club that wasn’t so big.

“So, I went to France just before the World Cup and my plan was to go to the World Cup, have a great tournament, score goals, reach a good level and then play for a big club.”