“I was talking with one of his former team-mates in Holland and he said that Dirk had actually started as a right-back, before moving forward as a winger with Feyenoord and the national team,” said the Spaniard.

“So we have always known that he can play in a lot of different positions – either wing, as a second striker, up front. And he’s done well in all of them too.

“The thing is that he because you can use him in so many different ways, you can pretty much guarantee he will be in the starting line-up.”

Kuyt has also provided a number of assists from the right flank, the latest of which created Ryan Babel’s late strike in the 3-0 win at West Ham on Saturday.

The Dutchman is refusing to give up on Liverpool’s quest for the Premier League title, despite Man-chester United needing only four points from their three games to regain the crown.

“The spirit and strength of the squad are really important because we know we have a lot of quality in this team,” said Kuyt.

“I thought it was a great performance against West Ham and it’s always more easy when you score an early goal. We know our target, which is just to win our games and let’s see what happens.”

Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest are in talks with Liverpool over signing Paul Anderson on a permanent basis.

LIVERPOOL’S Academy technical director Piet Hamberg is to leave the club at the end of the season.