Hodgson won't carry Benteke for much longer

Cape Town - Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson admits they cannot afford to carry a goal-shy Christian Benteke if he's not contributing to other aspects in their play.

The Belgium international has yet to get off the mark for the struggling Eagles this season and missed an injury-time penalty in the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on Saturday.

Benteke played the entire 90 minutes against Watford on Tuesday as late goals from Bakary Sako and James McArthur completed a 2-1 comeback win for Palace, who saw their main striker extend his goal drought to 12 Premier League games in 2017/18.

The 27-year-old has failed to even register an assist, and Hodgson acknowledges it is becoming a problem in the club's battle to escape the drop.

"Of course when your front player - the man who is a pivotal focal point in your attack - is not scoring, it's a concern," the Englishman said in his pre-match press conference for Saturday's trip to improving Leicester.

"It's a concern to him, it's a concern to us and it's a concern to fans. He can do nothing more than keep working at it, keep working very, very hard.

"If the goals aren't coming he needs to be making certain he's making a good contribution to the team's play, both in terms of our attacking and our defensive play.

"We certainly can't afford to carry anybody, let alone carry a goalscorer that isn't scoring goals."

Kick off is at 14:30.