Javier Mascherano left out of Liverpool squad to face Trabzonspor

18 August 2010 16:11
Javier Mascherano's Liverpool future remains in doubt after the midfielder was left out of the squad to face Trabzonspor in the Europa League play-off. [LNB]Mascherano, a long-term target for Inter Milan, would have been cup-tied for the group stages of the Champions League if he had played on Thursday and the Reds subsequently won their tie. [LNB]But the Argentina international will play no part against the Turkish outfit after picking up a calf injury against Arsenal on Sunday and the Italian champions now have more time to prepare a bid.[LNB] [LNB] Sidelined: Mascherano (top) will not feature when Liverpool face Trabzonspor[LNB]Anfield boss Roy Hodgson dismissed the speculation Mascherano's absence was related to Inter's interest and told the club's official website: 'Javier will always be in my plans until the day comes when he leaves the club. And for me that will be a long time in the future if I can get my wish. But he's injured at the moment and won't play tomorrow.[LNB] [LNB]Reds squad v Trabzonspor Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio, Kuyt, Lucas, Gerrard, Cole, Jovanovic, Ngog, Aquilani, Torres, Pacheco, Krygiakos, Rodriguez, Babel, Wilson, Spearing, Poulsen [LNB]'He came off after about 80 minutes on Sunday with a slight pull in his calf muscles and has only just started to jog today. The worry for us is that he won't be fit for Monday (against Manchester City).' [LNB]Daniel Agger will also miss out on Thursday as he suffered a concussion against the Gunners. [LNB]Hodgson added: 'Daniel got concussed so he's not doing that well. We're three days after the incident and he's still suffering from concussion and has got no memory of the game. [LNB]'We can only hope that it settles down in time for Monday's match with Manchester City. There was never any question he'd be fit for tomorrow. [LNB]'He is resting. He was at the club this morning, I was talking to him, but he's not able to do much at the moment because he's suffering from headaches. [LNB] Heads up: Poulsen is in line to make his Reds bow against the Turks[LNB]'Even something as simple as reading a newspaper or watching TV can give him a headache so he needs to take it easy. I know how he feels doing all these press conferences.'[LNB] Christian Poulsen could make his debut in the absence of Mascherano. [LNB]'He's in the squad. I haven't picked the team yet but he's in the squad and there's a chance he'll appear,' said Hodgson. [LNB] Messi urges Barcelona to wrap up signing of Liverpool's MascheranoSign up to our FREE Fantasy Football game - with £40,000 in prize money up for grabsKuyt back in Inter Milan's sights after Italian champions fail to sign SculliLIVERPOOL FC

Source: Daily_Mail