The Argentina captain's long-awaited transfer to the Spanish club is expected to be completed in the next 24 hours after the Reds accepted a suitable bid, having rejected a £16million offer last weekend.
When news of that approach reached the 26-year-old he backed out of playing in the Barclays Premier League defeat to Manchester City at Eastlands on Monday. That severely disrupted Hodgson's plans and he hit out at the player's unprofessionalism.
"It is not easy for me to defend the actions (of Mascherano) because professionals are paid to play and when they are called on to play, they play," he said.
"Unfortunately there are going to be periods of time when there will be some unpleasantness because players must also understand that when you sign contracts you sign contracts to play. It doesn't bother me as a challenge to my authority it is just a fact of life."
Source: PA
