Rafa Benitez admits he considered quitting Liverpool before signing his new contract last month. Benitez felt he was hitting his head against a brick wall as he attempted to work under the fractured regime of warring owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks. But with the pair appearing to have reached an uneasy truce and Benitez winning his power battle with departing chief executive Rick Parry, he decided to agree his new deal.

Benitez said: "It is true that at times I may have thought about my future. There was a lot of uncertainty at the club but when you put all of these things together and the fact I am sure we can improve, there was no doubt in my mind.

"It will be easier now the contract is done. Once you sign a contract you know you can start thinking about the future. That is why it was important to get it done as soon as possible.

"The uncertainty at the club was the only thing on my mind before. But delaying the decision before saying yes at the end of the season would have been worse for everyone because we would have lost some of our transfer targets or certainly been at a disadvantage."