Jupp Heynckes says Bayern Munich aren't ready to celebrate anything despite their comfortable position at the top of the Bundesliga.
Bayern Munich boss Jupp Heynckes has hailed James Rodriguez's contribution to the club's recent turnaround, predicting that the Colombia playmaker "will become more and more important" in the coming months.
James, 26, has scored two goals and provided three assists in 10 Bundesliga appearances, featuring in every Champions League game since joining on a two-year loan from Real Madrid in August.
"James is a great team player, but not too precious to carry out defensive work," Heynckes said at a news conference ahead of the league leaders' home game against bottom-of-the-table Cologne on Wednesday.
"That's extremely positive for us and for my credo as a coach and how I want to lead the team. He's happy, he turns up to training with a smile every day and trains well."
Jupp Heynckes said James Rodriguez has shown he is a 'great team player' at Bayern Munich.
Heynckes, a fluent Spanish speaker, said he understands why James had struggled to settle in his first few months at the club.
"I have said repeatedly that new players need a certain time to integrate and that was the case with James," he said. "Coming from abroad, as a South American, the weather plays a role, plus the food and a different style of football in a new country on a new team."
The 2014 World Cup top scorer has become an integral part of Bayern's recent success, racking up 11 wins in 12 games since Heynckes took over as interim coach for a fourth term in October.
Heynckes added: "You have to consider that he is playing in a position he is unfamiliar with from his time at Real Madrid, where he often played wide left or right -- slightly withdrawn as he isn't a [Franck] Ribery or a [Arjen] Robben nor a sprinter. Here we play 4-3-3 and he is one of two attacking midfielders. Surprisingly for some, he is also a strong runner with outstanding running data.
"I think he can, and most probably will, become more and more important to us in the future, because he is also dangerous in front of goal, which perhaps he hasn't shown so much of so far as he was playing more for the benefit of the team."
Happy James