Rodriguez off the mark in U21s win

Lyndon Lloyd , 7 September, 29comments | Jump to most recent

New signing Leandro Rodriguez scored the first goal in Everton Under-21s' 3-0 win over Preston in the Lancashire Senior Cup this evening.

The Uruguayan striker played in a Blue jersey for the first time since his £500,000 move from River Plate Montevideo and took just 10 minutes to head home the opening goa.

Conor Grant, something of a regular scorer for the second string from midfield lately, notched the second in the second half and Liam Walsh's cross-cum-shot made it three later on.

Everton U21s: Hewelt; Lees (70' Yates), Mellen (70'Jones), Ledson (c), Pennington, Browning; Grant, Walsh; Rodriguez, McAleny, Henen (75' Evans). Subs not Used: Williams.

Reader Comments (29)

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Paul Hewitt
1 Posted 07/09/2015 at 22:00:21

I can't see this guy making much impact in the first team. But I hope I'm wrong.

Les Martin
2 Posted 07/09/2015 at 22:11:21

I believe this lad is a natural goalscorer and will be a surprise package when he is settled, although it looks like he is off to a great start already.

Jamie Crowley
3 Posted 07/09/2015 at 22:25:15

You see what you did I hope...

Cross-cum-shot makes me think I'm on the wrong site...

Chris Gould
4 Posted 07/09/2015 at 22:31:18

Paul, did you watch the match?

Paul Hewitt
5 Posted 07/09/2015 at 22:37:39

No Chris. Really not calling the lad. But how many times do we sign foreign players and they don't make it?

Tony Marsh
6 Posted 07/09/2015 at 22:46:08

Word is this kid is going to be a player. He cost very little so is worth a punt.

Frank Wade
7 Posted 07/09/2015 at 23:58:36

I agree with Les. Leandro looked good in the snippets we saw on YouTube. I know it can be misleading, but he did show good ability and importantly, he did it in the big games in Uruguay, not just against the poor teams.

I have big hopes for him in the first team, playing with better players. It would be interesting to hear a first-hand account from someone at the game.

Anthony Dwyer
8 Posted 08/09/2015 at 00:09:05

I don't think it's right to pass comment on the lad yet, to be fair, as YouTube can be deceiving as can transfer fees. He is uncapped and unheard of plus his transfer fee is small. Top that off with the fact he is already 22 and you could quickly write him off.

That said, there are hidden gems all over the football world, look at Pogba failing at Man Utd, Pique the same and Hernandez (United again sorry) who came from nowhere into their first team squad. There are lots more of these stories out there and with a bit of luck, Rodriguez may just be one of them. Fingers crossed.

Brian Cleveland
9 Posted 08/09/2015 at 05:55:04

Paul, based on what are you saying he won't have an impact? Was he crap apart from the goal he scored? I didn't see it, but to score in the first 10 minutes of your first game is rather more positive than negative I would think... or am I looking at it wrong?

Harold Matthews
10 Posted 08/09/2015 at 06:38:58

He's had plenty of senior experience. Don't like the idea of him playing with the U21s. This lad should be mixing and training with the main squad.

Duncan McDine
11 Posted 08/09/2015 at 07:19:21

Jamie, that caught my eye too... Don't think I've ever been cross at that moment.

Harold, I would hope he only played in this game to get some minutes and let the coaching staff get a good look at him. I'm sure he is training with the main squad.

Sam Hoare
12 Posted 08/09/2015 at 07:21:31

Harold, I heard he was playing last night just to get taste of English football but will be mostly playing/training with first team.

Mick Quirke
13 Posted 08/09/2015 at 07:39:05

PMSL at the born optimists like Paul Hewitt. Lad scores 20 mins into his debut and he's not gonna make it!

Why?

Cos he's foreign!

You couldn't make it up.

Sam Hoare
14 Posted 08/09/2015 at 08:18:48

To be fair to Paul the odds would suggest that he will not make it. Maybe 1 in 8 of these punts come off? But you never know and sounds like last night was a promising start...

Kevin Elliott
15 Posted 08/09/2015 at 08:23:35

Agree Mick.

The remark that Paul made was totally pointless.

Andrew Ellams
16 Posted 08/09/2015 at 08:30:50

Hopefully worst case scenario is he won't make it and we can make some sort of profit selling him on to a Spanish club; best scenario is we have unearthed a South American genius who will make a major impact and well, we can make a bigger profit selling him on to a better Spanish club.

In all seriousness, we just don't know. Any comments can just be made on assumptions up to now, even if you did see the U21 game.

Colin Glassar
17 Posted 08/09/2015 at 08:38:22

Some people are under the impression that if you cost less than, let's say, 㾶m then you must be rubbish. This is just a reflection of how far the media brainwashing has gone... ie, only multi-million pound players who sign for multi-billionaire owned clubs are worth it.

Phil Sammon
18 Posted 08/09/2015 at 08:54:48

Ant 8

I agree with the your comment, but Pogba hardly failed at Man Utd. He thought he was better than what the club was offering him so he moved on. It's looking like a good decision on his part.

John Hodgkins
19 Posted 08/09/2015 at 09:12:35

Colin @17, couldn't have put it better, money paid means little in this case.

Matt Traynor
20 Posted 08/09/2015 at 09:22:05

Wasn't Ian Wright about 24 before he broke into professional football? There's more recent examples than that (Jamie Vardy played for England this week 5 years to the day from turning out for a non-league side).

Late bloomers happen in all walks of life.

The money argument doesn't come into play – there are lads now jibbing their careers off, getting into all sorts of both, without making a 1st team appearance, but they're still millionaires. There's a queue of lads (domestic and foreign) who'd love the chance to fill their boots (figuratively speaking given Jamie's concerns at #3).

Lewis Barclay
21 Posted 08/09/2015 at 09:34:26

Players who cost next to nothing are never any good, are they Seamus Coleman?

Neil Thomas
22 Posted 08/09/2015 at 09:39:00

The lad needs a chance. Could be a descent back up at the moment.

Thomas Surgenor
23 Posted 08/09/2015 at 09:50:44

Adding weight to Lewis's (#20) comment:

Wasn't a certain Mr Coleman also uncapped and didn't play in the Premier League until he was 21/22?

Chris Gould
24 Posted 08/09/2015 at 10:23:15

We wouldn't have bought him if he didn't have a shot at making it. Obviously he is unproven, but that doesn't me he isn't ready to make an impact this season. We don't know anything about this lad.

Sounds like he's thrilled to be here and willing to give it everything. If he has a good attitude and work ethic who knows how good he could be. I for one am excited to find out.

Andrew Ellams
25 Posted 08/09/2015 at 13:02:17

Matt Traynor, to be fair when I saw Jamie Vardy playing for England I did conside getting my boots out, I might be in with a chance yet.

Frank Crewe
26 Posted 08/09/2015 at 14:53:22

Put him on the bench against Chelsea. Give Rom something to think about.

Aidy Dews
27 Posted 08/09/2015 at 15:21:10

Reading comments from people that were at the game on FB on the match report, they say he's quick and as a great touch, took his goal well but understandably doesn't look ready for the first team, yet!

But even at 22, he is still young and coming from Uruguay so will need a fair bit of time to get used to the English game, the pace and physicality of it.

But I find it ridiculous that people could write him off so soon just cos he's a cheap gamble we've took from Uruguay. He may well turn out like Joao Silva or even Vellios, even though he made an impact on the first team at times but just didn't have any go in him, but he's had one U-21 game!

Give the lad time and a chance!

Paul Kossoff
28 Posted 08/09/2015 at 18:26:17

Hasn't Lennon already trained with him and praised him, saying Rodriguez has some skills?

Also, didn't Roberto say he is for the first team and not the Under-21s?

Paul Hewitt
29 Posted 08/09/2015 at 18:42:51

Apologise if my comment came across as having a go at Rodriguez. That was never my intention. I was trying to say I hope he gets the game time to prove himself. And not just 10 minutes here and there.

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