The manager's comment followed confirmation from the Catalan club that the 33-year-old Argentine was leaving for Chinese club Hebei China Fortune, reports Efe.
"You can see how he thinks, he understands the game. He is almost like a coach himself during the game," Valverde said of Mascherano.
"He is a player who is close to the end of the career. He has got that (coaching) bug and he is surely going to try it, because if you do not try it you will always be wondering."
Mascherano, who joined Bar?a from Liverpool in 2010, is due to move to Hebei on Friday.
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