James was not available for selection owing to fitness issues on Monday in Everton’s 1-0 win against Southampton at Goodison Park in the Premier League.
Everton’s home form has been a worry for them in the current campaign and the Saints win ensured they registered their first win at home since mid-December.
Former Toffees star Ball stressed that Everton getting over the line in the absence of the talismanic Colombian shows how far the club have come under Carlo Ancelotti this season.
Ball feels that Ancelotti will be delighted with how his team have persevered and kicked on in the second part of the campaign.
“You’ve got James Rodriguez to still come back into this side though and it just shows how far we’ve come as a club”, Ball wrote in his Liverpool Echo column.
“We’ve got a big win at home while having James out of the squad.
“From now until the end of the season I think Carlo will be really pleased with how his players have kicked on.
“It’s great for [Dominic] Calvert-Lewin and Richy [Richarlison] to know you’ve got that quality behind you to find the right passes and help you get the ball in the net.”
Everton are on the road again in the Premier League with a clash against West Brom in the top flight on Thursday and they will be determined to add another three points to their tally and take another big step towards a European spot finish.
