Rafa Benitez says “nobody can argue” about James Rodriguez’s quality but says the focus is getting the Colombian up to full fitness.

Rodriguez played the opening 45 minutes against Millonarios in Orlando on Wednesday night as Benitez took charge of his first official friendly game as Everton boss.

The Colombian playmaker struggled to make much of an impact but Benitez insists it is “not easy” for any of his players at this stage of the summer schedule.

It is understood that Rodriguez has been told he can leave Everton this summer if a suitable offer is made but Benitez was refusing to close the door on his Goodison career when asked after the Blues’ penalty shoot-out victory.

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“At the beginning of the pre-season, it is not easy,” Benitez said.

“I think you can see he has the quality on the ball but still his fitness is not what we are expecting, so it is normal at this time.

“So we will see, obviously, we have more training sessions and more games so we will see how he is going on and every player.

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“It depends on them, if they can make a difference or not.

“But at the moment it is seeing how they progress and how they can improve but nobody can argue about the quality of James.”

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