"If I had wanted pace, I would have signed Bolt, not James"

Everton manager, Carlo Ancelotti, assured after beating Tottenham that, if what worried him about James Rodríguez was his speed, "he would have signed Usain Bolt" and not the Colombian.

The Italian manager gave James his Premier League debut and the Colombian was one of the best in the 1-0 win over Tottenham.

"Players who know how to play don't need much time to adapt. James knows what he has to do, just like Allan and Doucouré. I just told him to bring out his quality and he did. We have a good mix of players in the middle", Ancelotti explained on the BBC.

"James is not the fastest player in the world, but he has a lot of quality. We have to use him so that he demonstrates his quality. He's not a winger, but he can come to the middle and receive the ball, he's very dangerous. I'm not worried about his pace and speed. If I was worried about that I would have signed Usain Bolt, not James", the Italian manager added.

 

September 13, 2020