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Posts Tagged ‘hodgson’

• ‘There have been a lot of lies. I will respond to them’
• Player says Barcelona move is a year too late

Javier Mascherano has warned Roy Hodgson that he will reveal the truth behind the “lies” that surrounded his departure from Anfield – and admitted his £17m move to Barcelona was a year overdue. He also insisted there was never an offer on the table for him to join Rafa Benítez at Internazionale.

Mascherano, right, was reported to have refused to play against Manchester City as he sought to force through a move to Spain, with Hodgson accusing him of being “selfish”. But at his Barça unveiling, he said: “Roy Hodgson knows the truth. This is a happy moment for me so now is not the time to say it, but a lot of lies have been told about me and I will respond to them.

“Last year Liverpool would not let me leave. There was no way they would sell me. They had Xabi Alonso and me, and they would only let Xabi leave,” said the 26‑year‑old.

“I was disappointed not to be able to sign last season. When the best club in the world calls you, then it is something that you want to happen. I have signed for the only club who really wanted me. In no moment did I ever think that Inter was a possibility. Rafa valued me and perhaps that is why people started saying that I could go there but this is the only club that pushed to sign me.”

But Mascherano was keen too to rebuild bridges with fans at Liverpool, with whom he spent three seasons. “I hope they get back into the Champions League as soon as possible. I still have a lot of affection for the fans of the club and I always will.”

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• Training would suit his fitness, says Roy Hodgson
• Player keen to be involved with Spain

Liverpool’s appeal for Fernando Torres to be spared international duty is likely to be ignored with the striker keen to play for Spain and expected to start next week’s friendly against Argentina.

Roy Hodgson yesterday called on the Spain manager, Vicente Del Bosque, to omit Torres from the Euro 2012 qualifier in Liechtenstein on Friday and the friendly in Buenos Aires next Tuesday. The Liverpool striker joined his international team-mates on Sunday evening, having been named in the squad last week. After losing his regular starting place in the Spain team in South Africa, where he was hindered by a knee problem, it is believed Torres does not want to jeopardise his involvement under Del Bosque further by making himself unavailable for selection.

Hodgson believes a two-week training programme on Merseyside would suit Torres’s long-term fitness rather than preparing for matches with Spain. But he admits Liverpool are powerless to prevent their record signing featuring in the double-header. “We can’t say he’s unfit to play because he’s just played 85 minutes against West Bromwich Albion,” said Hodgson. “We can only ask the question, propose that this is the best option for the player but we don’t have the right to pull him out.

“The more work our sports science people can do with him, to build him up, give him basically the good pre-season that all players need, the better it will be for his long-term future. If we’re unable to do that because he’s asked to play so many matches in this early part of the season it’s going to effect us negatively.”

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• Raul Meireles arrives at Liverpool in £11.5m switch
• Roy Hodgson ‘key’ to move to England from Porto

Raul Meireles has insisted he is not a Javier Mascherano clone after completing his move to Liverpool from Porto.

The 27-year-old has joined Roy Hodgson’s side for £11.5m, the Premier League club have announced on their official website.

The Portugal international Meireles has signed a four-year contract and will add weight to a Liverpool midfield which was looking short on numbers following the departures of Mascherano and Alberto Aquilani.

And, quoted in the Sunday Express, he said: “Roy Hodgson was key to me coming here because he worked so hard to sign me.

“I am Meireles and not Mascherano and that will be clear to the fans. I hope one day the Liverpool fans will remember me for being successful.”

Meireles has won four titles with Porto and been capped 38 times by Portugal, playing in all four of his country’s games at this summer’s World Cup.

Liverpool agreed a deal on Friday to allow Mascherano to move to Barcelona after the midfielder, whose family could not settle on Merseyside, was reportedly unprepared to play for the club.

Aquilani also departed for Juventus in a loan deal which brought to an end, at least temporarily, an under-whelming and injury-hit spell in the city in which he failed adequately to replace Xabi Alonso.

With Liverpool financially constrained as their owners, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, attempt to sell the club, fans have had to make do with limited arrivals this summer – Christian Poulsen from Juventus and Joe Cole on a free transfer from Chelsea being the headline names.

On the pitch Liverpool have started the season in uninspiring fashion under their new manager, Roy Hodgson, with last week’s 3-0 defeat by Manchester City particularly dispiriting.

They at least have a Europa League campaign to look forward to after overcoming Trabzonspor this week.

Meireles, at home in the centre of midfield, scored in Portugal’s 7-0 win over South Korea in South Africa this summer.

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