James Rodríguez's mysterious absence, who didn't travel with León to face Tijuana in Liga MX: What happened? Conflicting reports

Colombian James Rodríguez is not included in Club León's squad for Friday's Liga MX match against Xolos de Tijuana , and reports of his absence are raising many questions.

Neither coach Eduardo Berizzo nor the team have yet issued any information regarding the absence of the number 10, who had been a substitute in the game against Tigres after his return from the Colombian national team. He played the entire second half, without any significant impact.

Fox Sports journalist Paco Vela confirmed that James' absence is not due to any physical issue. "It has been revealed that it was the player's decision not to participate this time to avoid the risk of playing on a synthetic turf field," he said.

However, a media outlet supporting León, Territorio Esmeralda, reported that James does have a physical problem and is therefore not part of the delegation.

“JAMES INJURED. For the second time in the tournament, a muscle injury has sidelined James Rodríguez, and he will not travel with Club León to Tijuana, according to Paco Montes,” the report said.

"The Esmeralda squad is about to head to the border without the Colombian number 10, who will miss his third match of the current tournament. James couldn't train with the team, and we'll see if he can get minutes for Tuesday's game against Mazatlán... GET BACK SOON, CAPI!" he added.

James was out of León's squad for almost a month, missing the games against Monterrey on August 11 and Necaxa four days later. He returned to the squad on August 22 against Pachuca, where he played only 28 minutes.

In this new season with León, James has played six matches, starting only three. He scored just one goal, a penalty.