Everton star Tim Cahill admitted he was keen to tie up his newly-signed deal with the club prior to the World Cup to avoid distractions.

Cahill, who is in South Africa preparing for the World Cup with the Australian national team, signed a four-year deal with the Toffees earlier this month and was glad to have got it out of the way.

"I think it's important as a footballer going into such a big competition to not have big distractions like not knowing where you're going to be next season," he told FIFA.com.

"You need to be totally focused because that is the only way you can give 100 percent to your national team. The big thing for me is that I'm very close to the manager and the chairman so I'm buzzing to have signed a new contract."