Injury update: James Rodriguez was subbed off vs. Besiktas due to calf tightness

James Rodriguez was subbed off just before the halftime whistle during Bayern Munich’s 5-0 routing of Besiktas in the Champions League.

Initially, it looked as if James had sustained some sort of head injury after Thomas Muller sent a shot square into James’s head in the 27th minute from just a few yards away. James appeared to be a bit disoriented when exiting the pitch to make way for Arjen Robben, recalling the figure he cut back in November in Bayern’s 2-1 loss to Borussia Monchengladbach after sustaining a concussion.

However, Jupp Heynckes confirmed after the match that the Colombian was brought off for muscle tightness in his calf. Heynckes stated according to FC Bayern’s official press release,

James has tightness in his calf. I think the injury is not so serious.

James will be examined by doctors tomorrow. Heynckes told Sport Bild’s Tobias Altschäffl that the substitution “was a precautionary measure to ensure nothing worse happens.”

Hopefully for Bayern, the extent of James’s injury isn’t too serious and he’ll be able to promptly return to action. The precautionary substitution proved to effective in its own right, as Robben was able to give Bayern an extra edge in attack, scoring 4 unanswered goals in the second half.