It is more a question of attitudes and professionalism. There have been several rumors, in several clubs, that JR does not train hard enough, and that he does not take care of his body as a top athlete should do. This also contributes to being injured far more frequently. However, if the problem is as big as some say, then it is a scandal of Everton's medical staff to approve the transfer.
I do not demand that JR run around telling how much he loves Everton, etc., but I expect him to behave like a professional footballer. That was what the Colombian manager expected, and at this level you can not plan and set up your game for players who are not 100 percent. Although they can hit a magic pass or two.
You stated it correctly, it has always been rumors not concrete proof. Most of this was gossip was spread early on during his time at Real Madrid. Rumors promoted by sensationalist Spanish and Colombian press that fabricated stories in order to make profits out of his expense. For as long as I have followed James, he always seems very devoted to his training and fitness because he is very competitive in nature and his desire is always to play and be on the field with his club and with Colombia’s National Team. Like some have said here, maybe he is indeed made of glass because of his persistent calf injuries but in my opinion it would be unfair to say that he doesn’t take care of himself and that his attitude hasn’t been professional during his time at Everton. It is not like he was out partying or having a bunch of gals around drinking at his place like footballers such as Naymar and others do. He is a single dad currently raising a toddler son almost on his own, with some help from his mother, while also being a footballer. At Everton he had mostly good performances this season when he was fit. He managed to help the team win some meaningful matches, let’s not forget the importance of beating Liverpool at Anfield. If he was given some leisure at Everton, such as leaving early to go to Colombia before the end of the season then the one to blame is Ancelotti not James.
Now when it comes to Colombia, Rueda didn’t leave him out because of his lack of professionalism, he left him out because he was still injured. Rueda, unlike previous managers, decided not to take a footballer that was not 100% fit and James wasn’t very happy about this decision because, as he claimed in a recent Instagram conversation, he had been asked before to perform for the NT when injured. So of course it took him by surprise such decision and he is hurt. His ego is wounded and he felt he needed to express himself about it. His statements were made with passion and were taken out of context, The reality is that his magic passes were missed the first game of Copa America. Colombia definitely plays better with James in midfield so I would think he will be returning to the NT in
the future. And hopefully he will be returning to Everton too. He has a year left in his contract and he said it would be good for him to comeback to play as a Blue one more year. If finishing his contract is not professionalism then what is it?