'Really': Roy Hodgson names two Liverpool players who wanted to leave when he joined as manager

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Roy Hodgson has now opened up on his ill-fated spell as Liverpool manager at the beginning of the 2010s.Hodgson has returned to management, re-joining former club, Bristol City, and guiding them to a 2-1 win over Charlton Athletic on Friday.He will be hoping for a much better run than he had at Anfield, during which time he has now said several players, including Fernando Torres and Javier Mascherano, wanted to leave. Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images Fernando Torres and Javier Mascherano wanted to leave Liverpool when Roy Hodgson was managerHodgson was officially appointed as the Reds’ new manager on July 1, 2010.Less than two months later, Mascherano secured a permanent transfer to FC Barcelona on August 28, 2010.Torres stuck around a tiny bit longer, but he was then sold to Chelsea in January 2011.Now, speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, Hodgson has confirmed both players were keen to depart when he took the Liverpool job.He said: “It was a transition period I suppose.

The club was transitioning from [Rafa] Benitez and two American owners to new American owners who were very interested in what the fans thought and who they thought should be the manager.“And also it was a transition with the players because some of the players who were there, in particular [Javier] Mascherano and [Fernando] Torres they weren’t really wanting to be there anymore.“It took a time. It was only when [Brendan] Rodgers came in, and they started to change the squad a bit that it opened out.” Who would you rather see as Liverpool’s manager next season?

Clash of the titans 👀 Photo Credit: Getty Images/Dan Mullan/UEFA/Peter Powell/AFP Javier Mascherano explains his Liverpool exitTorres went on to endure a difficult spell at Stamford Bridge on the back of his exit, while Mascherano thrived at Barcelona.The Argentine, who is now manager of Inter Miami, has since opened up on his exit during an interview with FourFourTwo back in 2021.He suggested that the reason for his departure was largely due to his family being unhappy.Mascherano said: “I was really happy in Liverpool, but it was tough for my wife and daughters. “Although I was playing regularly and the supporters loved me – and they’re extraordinary people – the issue was that I trained for three or four hours a day and had 20 hours left to stay at home.”It’s difficult to see your family unhappy and unsettled because of the language, the weather… I needed to go somewhere else for the wellbeing of my loved ones.”Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox