Crystal Palace star Christian Benteke has nothing to prove to Liverpool when he returns this weekend, says Eagles boss Sam Allardyce
Belgium international makes his first appearance at Anfield since brutal summer exit but boss has urged him to stay calm
SAM ALLARDYCE maintains Christian Benteke has nothing to prove when he goes back to Liverpool tomorrow.
The striker makes his first return after being shipped out of Anfield in a £32million switch to Crystal Palace last summer.
It drew a line under a frustrating 12-month spell that turned sour after Jurgen Klopp replaced Brendan Rodgers and made it clear the target man was not part of his plans.
Benteke, 26, made just 14 league starts for the Reds, but Palace boss Allardyce is convinced the big Belgian has put that bitter experience behind him.
Three goals in his last four games have helped Palace’s survival battle, taking Benteke’s haul to 14 for the season.
Allardyce said: “It wasn’t a very good experience for him. It wasn’t what he wanted or expected — then what you have to do is move on.
“It didn’t happen at Liverpool, but it certainly happened at Aston Villa and it’s certainly happening with us.
“He’s our leading goalscorer, he’s got 12 Premier League goals in a struggling team. That goes a long way to proving how good a centre-forward he is.
“It’s a little like Andy Carroll. Andy got disregarded by Liverpool which was massively disappointing for him.
“We brought him in at West Ham and he has been a major part in their success in staying and moving on in the Premier League. Christian can hopefully be that for Palace.”
But Allardyce warned the hitman against trying too hard to make a point in front of the Kop.
He added: “If you go back to one of your old clubs you always want to show that bit about what you might be missing.
“From Christian’s point of view, I don’t want him to get over zealous about trying to do something a bit special that may harm the team’s performance.
“He will want to do very well, but I don’t want him to lose what he’s been offering the team recently by trying to prove how good he is.”
When Liverpool signed Benteke he was being touted as a striker with the potential to become one of Europe’s best.
Big Sam believes his big man can fulfil those early expectations, adding: “I don’t see why not. He’s got all the credentials for it.
“We’ll help him as much as we can, but at the end of the day it’s down to him and consistent performances. The better we are as a team, the more service we can give him.”