“I have told him how important it was for him to come here, and now he is the captain of the Argentina national side thanks to Liverpool.

“For us, to have the best from Mascherano is really important if we want to win more games.

“He has two more years, but if we need to do it we will talk to him. He has enough time and has to play at the level he has played at before and we will be really pleased with him. We are really pleased with him.”

Mascherano made only a fleeting appearance as a late substitute in the midweek Champions League win over Debrecen.

And with Lucas Leiva and Steven Gerrard impressing in central midfield in his absence, the Argentine is not guaranteed a starting place at Upton Park.

“I am really pleased with the way that the team is playing now but I was also happy with the two games previous,” added Benitez.

“All the players know what they have to do on the pitch, so to change one or two of them is not a big difference. If Mascherano is fit he can play but Lucas and Gerrard are doing well as midfielders.

“He is a key player for us and he will be a key player for us during the season but he was away and Lucas and Gerrard were playing well so I have to manage this situation. But it is better for me to have these problems.”

Along with Mascherano, both Fabio Aurelio and Ryan Babel are pressing for recalls this evening.