Javier Mascherano: Liverpool broke promises

Javier Mascherano has lifted the lid on his bitter departure from Liverpool to Barcelona.

Mascherano has explained leaving Liverpool in 2010 and admitted he had to take matters very much into his own hands to force a transfer.

Speaking this week with FourFourTwo, Mascherano recounted what happened in the weeks leading to his exit and how the club he loved made him angry.

“There was an agreement between us that if Liverpool received a decent offer for me, I’d be permitted to leave,” he said.

“We’d spoken about extending my contract, but it seemed like the directors didn’t care about me. In the pre-season after Rafa left, Roy Hodgson arrived.

“We had a meeting with the managing director, Christian Purslow, who told me I could go if a good offer came in. Then there was an offer on the table, but Liverpool were looking the other way.

“I was quite angry that they weren’t keeping their word. Refusing to play at [Manchester] City was the way I found to show my annoyance.

“I’d told the club I wanted to leave for family reasons, so I was very upset to have to act the way I did.

“There was no other option – otherwise, Liverpool wouldn’t keep their promise.”