Early hype for a player can be a contributing factor to their slow demise, and Ricardo Rodriguez is a fine example of this statement.
The now 27-year-old AC Milan defender was once one of the hottest prospects in world football during his time at Wolfsburg.
The left-back, who Bleacher Report once claimed to be ‘one of the best all-around footballers in the world’ back in 2014, has regressed in spectacular form since his Bundesliga years with Wolfsburg.
And two years after making the move to Italy, Rodriguez has now found himself playing second-fiddle at left-back following the arrival of Theo Hernandez from Real Madrid, and Everton are reportedly sniffing about.
As reported by Swiss newspaper Blick, the Toffees are one of the sides interested in the fullback this January with Milan claimed to be ready to move Rodriguez on with his first-team status at the club now gone.
A move for an extra left-back, on paper, does seem like a smart idea for Everton.
As squad depth charts from Transfermarkt show, the Toffees only have two players who can play naturally in this position, yet with one of these names being Leighton Baines, who is now 34 and is yet to play a minute of football this season, Lucas Digne is seemingly the only choice Marco Silva trusts in the XI.
Yet that is where the biggest roadblock when signing Rodriguez appears. Why sign a left-back that will seemingly want first-team football when Digne is already on the books at Everton?
The French fullback has been one of the few bright spots for the Toffees this season, continuing his great form last season into this as numbers from Transfermarkt show, and for Rodriguez, there is simply no way he displaces Digne in the starting XI with the former Barcelona man playing such a crucial role for Everton.
Everton can certainly do with an extra left-back, but Rodriguez will be an expensive option for the Merseyside club as well as a player who will not be contempt with sitting on the bench.