Share

Benteke's future up in the air

London - Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke has refused to commit himself to the Premier League club after admitting on Tuesday that his agent will decide his future.

Benteke has been strongly linked with a move to Liverpool and Villa manager Tim Sherwood revealed last week that he would be powerless to keep the Belgium international if a club meets his £32.5 million buy-out clause.

The 24-year-old, who made impressive return to form in the second half of the season after recovering from injury, doesn't appear keen to remain at Villa Park after his agent Eris Kismet reportedly said he wants to play for a club in European competition.

Benteke is currently with his country ahead of their Euro 2016 qualifier against Wales and friendly with France but, asked about his club situation, he refused to offer any assurances he will still be in a Villa shirt next season.

"It's about him (Kismet), he knows what I want and I'll let him do the job," Benteke told Sky Sports News.

"I don't know, I don't think about Aston Villa now. I did my season with Villa and now I am focused with the national team.

"It's important to play. If you want to be in the first 11 you have to play in your club."

Benteke has scored 49 goals in 101 games for Villa since moving from Genk in 2012.

He recovered from a ruptured Achilles, which kept him out of last year's World Cup, to score 12 goals in his final 13 games of the season, although failed to net in Saturday's 4-0 FA Cup final defeat against Arsenal.

"I knew it wasn't going to be easy. I had some hard times with my injury but I knew my time would come and I would work hard for it," he added.

"I think I can be better in every situation - my left foot, right foot, heading. I'm still young and I'm motivated about working hard and being better than before."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1814 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1770 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1079 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 457 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 186 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE