Source: Daily_Mail
Javier Mascherano left out of Liverpool squad to face Trabzonspor
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. 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. 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. Sidelined: Mascherano (top) will not feature when Liverpool face TrabzonsporAnfield 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. Reds squad v Trabzonspor Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio, Kuyt, Lucas, Gerrard, Cole, Jovanovic, Ngog, Aquilani, Torres, Pacheco, Krygiakos, Rodriguez, Babel, Wilson, Spearing, Poulsen '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).' Daniel Agger will also miss out on Thursday as he suffered a concussion against the Gunners. 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. '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. '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. Heads up: Poulsen is in line to make his Reds bow against the Turks'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.' Christian Poulsen could make his debut in the absence of Mascherano. '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. 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