Steven Gerrard contract extension Liverpool FC future looking secure

"We want to keep our key players and we have been working very hard this week with a lot of players and agents.

"We have been talking with a lot of them about new contracts. We are now going forward in the right direction and maybe in the next week we will have some more news."

Kuyt, who has scored 35 goals in 137 appearances, was signed from Feyenoord in the summer of 2006 for £10million.

He arrived as a striker but has been used predominantly as a right winger. Kuyt has bagged 10 goals in 41 appearances so far this season and only Jamie Carragher has played more games for the Reds this term.

"Dirk had one year left on his contract and we were keen for him to stay," Benitez said.

"He is a player with great quality who has a big part to play in our future. We are delighted to have reached an agreement.

"To have announced new deals for Steven and Dirk on the same day shows that we are moving forward quickly as a club. These are very positive messages and I am very happy."

Meanwhile, Benitez faces a difficult decision over whether to play Javier Mascherano at Fulham today after his involvement in Argentina's 6-1 mauling at the hands of Bolivia on Wednesday night.

Mascherano only returned to the UK yesterday and met up with the Liverpool squad in London last night.

Having played at altitude in La Paz, the world's highest capital city, Mascherano will have to prove to his manager that he is not suffering from fatigue.

The evening kick-off time improves the 24-year-old's chances of starting the match though and Benitez will be hoping that his midfield general has shaken off the effects of jet lag.

Benitez said: "I haven't talked with Javier yet but we received the report from the Argentina Federation and it seems he doesn't have any problems.

"When you have a bad result like that the best thing is to play another game very quickly."