Forget what you might have read earlier this month, Javier Macherano appears not to be eyeing a return to Liverpool after all.
The Argentine left Merseyside for Barcelona in 2010 and reports had recently suggested he might be open to a possible return to Anfield in the months ahead.
This, however, appears to have been nothing more than speculation. Although Mascherano has often spoken fondly of Liverpool, he's now made clear that he would like to end his playing career at the place it began - Argentina's River Plate.
"I believe I need to give a chapter of my career to River Plate," he said, admitting that such a move may not be possible.
"My problem is that this isn't guaranteed and I could be a prisoner of my own words. If the move does not happen I may be accused of lying.
"But the truth is that this [a move to River Plate] is what I have thought about, but I have a good relationship with the club’s president Rodolfo D’Onofrio and we speak regularly.
"My future has nothing to do with money, I used to make my own decisions but now they’re done by my family. I cannot forget my kids and their situation.
"What will I be doing in January or summer? I have no idea," he added.
Mascherano, now 33, joined Liverpool in 2007 - a year after arriving joining his first English club, West Ham.
