A former Atletico Madrid player believes that superstar James Rodriguez is not getting the attention he deserves at Real Madrid.

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Retired defender Luis Amaranto Perea, who spent 12 years at Atletico, was speaking ahead of the Madrid derby on Saturday, and focused on his countryman’s current situation at the club.

Despite his ties to Atletico, Perea feels that the midfielder deserves to be treated better at Los Blancos, and use him as they did under Carlo Ancelotti.

"I'm surprised that he no longer appears so much," he said, according to Marca.

"Real Madrid must get back to having him play like he did during the (Carlo) Ancelotti era. Madrid demand a lot from players but he doesn't seem to be receiving much affection.

"The only way for Rodriguez to get back to playing at his old levels is to work hard and analyse what has been different in his game recently."

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Rodriguez, who has been linked with moves away from Real, has played just 10 matches for the Spanish giants this season, scoring one goal and assisting a further seven strikes.

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