Inter Milan have been tracking Mascherano all summer but have yet to lodge a formal bid, with Liverpool wanting at least £25million for the player.

While Hodgson has helped persuade both Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard to remain at Anfield, he accepts Mascherano is an altogether different proposition having told of his desire to leave.

But the manager has reiterated Mascherano will be considered for selection until a suitable offer is made.

“I think that will be slightly more difficult,” said Hodgson.

“If a big offer comes in for him and it is a club that he wants to go to, I think that will be harder.

“But the good thing for me at the moment is that we haven’t had that offer and as a result I can continue to work with him and deal with him as a Liverpool player and consider him as a Liverpool player and just wait for the day, if the day comes, when the offer comes in.

“Then maybe if the offer comes in and it was the offer that meets our valuation and he wants to go, then I don’t know that my powers of persuasion will be much good in that situation.

“But maybe they will never be needed because we might not get the offer and he might stay with us.”