JAVIER MASCHERANO has been challenged to set aside his World Cup worries and rediscover his spark for Liverpool.

Mascherano has struggled for form during the opening weeks of the campaign after a difficult summer in which Barcelona were actively pursuing the midfielder.

The 25-year-old’s concentration has been further affected by Argentina’s struggle to reach next summer’s World Cup finals in South Africa.

Diego Maradona’s side could miss out after slumping to successive defeats in their qualifiers against Brazil and Paraguay earlier this month, during which Mascherano – who is skipper for his country – sustained a pelvic injury that ruled him out of last week’s 4-0 win over Burnley.

And as Liverpool prepare to visit his former club West Ham United this evening, Mascherano has been urged by manager Rafael Benitez to focus his mind solely on Anfield matters.

“When you are not winning while playing for a big country like Argentina, you have to be worried,” said Benitez. “But Javier is a player with experience so he will come back, focus his mind and start thinking about Liverpool.

“He is the captain so he will be really worried because in Argentina, they live and breathe football, so as captain it will obviously be a worry for him.

“But since the first day he arrived here, his commitment has been 100%.

“I am watching him in training sessions and he is doing well and working really hard. I was watching him specifically because we were doing some exercises that needed hard work and he was very good in both and today was the same.

“The atmosphere in our training sessions is very good now and he is one of the players who is always working so hard that as a manager you have to be pleased.”

Reports in Spain suggest Barcelona are preparing a January bid for Mascherano, despite their director of football, Txiki Begiristain, having already been warned off any move by Benitez.

And the Liverpool manager has intimated the Argentine, who arrived at the club in January 2007, could be offered a new contract later this season.

“Top teams are always interested in signing top-class players,” said Benitez. “It’s normal. But he has a contract and we want to keep him.

“I told Txiki Begiristain before that we wanted to keep him and he knows my opinion.