James Rodriguez is one of five Everton players to be quarantined due to Covid-19

[ad_1]

James Rodriguez played in a friendly match last Saturday against Manchester United at Old Trafford

James Rodriguez is one of five Everton players who are in isolation due to coronavirus issues and will miss Saturday’s match against Southampton.

The Colombian midfielder, 30, has not yet played in front of the Everton fans since he signed in September 2020 due to pandemic crowd restrictions.

Everton manager Rafael Benitez said: “We have some players in isolation now, so we have to be very careful.

“Some players have to be at home and [James] He is one of them.”

The five absentees are understood to be isolated cases and not an outbreak at the club, which would welcome a return to Goodison Park for the first time since its 1-1 draw with Manchester United on 1 March 2020.

But it is not clear if they have contracted the coronavirus or are in isolation because they were considered to have been in close contact with them.

Benitez confirmed that striker Richarlison, who returned from the Toiko Olympics after winning the gold medal with Brazil, and striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be available.

But he admitted he was concerned about how players would be affected after restrictions were eased across the country.

“The main concern for me and all the managers is the rules across the country so that everyone can go out and do what they want,” he said. “After we have a lot of controls, that’s fine.

“Then we can see some issues and issues with Covid-19. We have to manage it in the best possible way and we are making an effort to make sure we have some control but it is very difficult to have complete control when everyone around you has some freedom.”

[ad_2]