Rodrigo has rubbished rumours which claimed he is unhappy at Leeds United following a stop-start first season with the club. Marcelo Bielsa launched a staunch defence of the forward in his press conference before the 2-1 win over Fulham and now Rodrigo has taken to social media to clarify his feelings.
Rodrigo said: “I’m not a person to comment on nonsense stories, however in this case I want to make it clear that stories about me wanting to leave Leeds and a bad relationship with Marcelo are false. I am very sorry that some people try to misinform our fans – my feelings are the opposite. I am happy, focused and working hard to help my teammates to end this great season in the best possible way. I love being at @leedsunited, I respect my coach and I identify with this Club! Come on Leeds MOT.”
The idea that Rodrigo’s relationship with Bielsa had been damaged seems particularly unlikely, given the Argentine manager’s detailed defence of his record signing earlier this month.
Marcelo Bielsa said: “To explain it exactly, Rodrigo arrived at the start of the competition, he didn’t manage to do the pre-season with us. It took him four weeks to become a starter and after playing his best game, which was against Aston Villa. Then he became sick. He was ill for 20 days. Then, after that, to get back to his best state it took him a month. He played 10 to 12 games from a level between medium to high. Then he picked up that injury which he was out for about five weeks with. And perhaps this second where he didn’t play for 40 days to then play again. Perhaps it was too quick because he’s a player who gets his best physical state by gradually increasing the minutes. He played 45 minutes with the Under-23s, 45 minutes against West Ham, and against Chelsea, who is one of the teams who has the biggest rhythm in the league alongside [Manchester] City and maybe some other teams. I had to bring him back earlier. My estimate was that he should not have played more than 50 minutes. He becomes a starter when he’s in a good state of form. When he has been without playing for over a month, his return to the team is not instantaneous. But me in particular and Leeds as his club, we have seen what Rodrigo is capable of. He is a great striker. When he finds his best form, he is a very dangerous forward and is very useful.”
