Hodgson: Mascherano's head turned by Barcelona
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Javier Mascherano was left out of Liverpool's 3-0 defeat at Manchester City on Monday night because, Roy Hodgson said "his head was not right".
Mascherano has made it clear to Liverpool that he wants to leave Anfield by refusing to sign a new contract offer tabled by the club.
And although the Mascherano camp have suggested that the player has been offered a deal by Barcelona, Hodgson insists that the 26 year-old will not be sold for less than the Reds' £18 million valuation.
The Liverpool boss told Sky Sports News: "Javier Mascherano is not in the right frame of mind to play the game because his head has obviously been turned by the offer from Barcelona.
"The fee that the club thinks is the correct fee and one that has been offered are very far apart and unless that can be resolved he might be unhappy for a long time.
"I'm not going to get involved in that. The discussions between the club and Barcelona are being held at high club level. As a result I don't really want to start speaking and saying things that may or may not be true.
"The danger of those questions is that I could give you an answer and if my answer is not 100 percent correct then all of a sudden I'm creating headlines. I have no wish to create headlines over the Mascherano situation.
"It's not the first time these things happen and there are a lot of clubs at the moment suffering from their players being courted by other clubs and players therefore being unhappy and required to fulfil their contracts.
"It has happened to us now. Hopefully matters will get resolved, certainly before the end of the transfer window and I'll have a chance to pick him again, but last night would not have been a good time to select him.
"It will happen, I guess, a day when the offer for him matches our valuation, but until that day he stays with us."
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Mascherano has made it clear to Liverpool that he wants to leave Anfield by refusing to sign a new contract offer tabled by the club.
And although the Mascherano camp have suggested that the player has been offered a deal by Barcelona, Hodgson insists that the 26 year-old will not be sold for less than the Reds' £18 million valuation.
The Liverpool boss told Sky Sports News: "Javier Mascherano is not in the right frame of mind to play the game because his head has obviously been turned by the offer from Barcelona.
"The fee that the club thinks is the correct fee and one that has been offered are very far apart and unless that can be resolved he might be unhappy for a long time.
"I'm not going to get involved in that. The discussions between the club and Barcelona are being held at high club level. As a result I don't really want to start speaking and saying things that may or may not be true.
"The danger of those questions is that I could give you an answer and if my answer is not 100 percent correct then all of a sudden I'm creating headlines. I have no wish to create headlines over the Mascherano situation.
"It's not the first time these things happen and there are a lot of clubs at the moment suffering from their players being courted by other clubs and players therefore being unhappy and required to fulfil their contracts.
"It has happened to us now. Hopefully matters will get resolved, certainly before the end of the transfer window and I'll have a chance to pick him again, but last night would not have been a good time to select him.
"It will happen, I guess, a day when the offer for him matches our valuation, but until that day he stays with us."
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Related links:
Team
Personal
Also see:
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