Let’s be honest for a second, it’s not been Christian Benteke’s best season, at least when it comes to putting the ball in the back of the net.
Paid by Crystal Palace to lead Roy Hodgson’s frontline, the normally semi-prolific striker has been anything but that this campaign, scoring just two goals in 27 appearances for the Eagles.
He also has six assists, which helps, but that’s not exactly what he gets judged on, so few eyebrows were raised when Roberto Martinez decided to give other Belgian strikers a chance during last month’s friendlies.
Despite the games just being a chance to try out new things ahead of the World Cup, Benteke was apparently a bit annoyed, which the Belgium national team manager understands.
In an interview with L’Avenir, Martinez said: “Michy’s (Batshuayi) injury doesn’t have an influence on Christian’s situation. In March, I didn’t want to leave him on the bench. I wanted to see other players. He was disappointed.
“That’s logical, and he’s trying to react. I still trust him. For me, his situation is the same as it was before the Saudi Arabia game”.
While he didn’t actively say Benteke was still in his plans, Martinez’s trust in the forward will certainly be music to his ears with the end of the season and the Belgium squad announcement just around the corner.
There’s still four games to go in the Premier League, and there’s no denying some goals would give the former Liverpool striker a much needed boost.
