BENTEKE BENCHED DESPITE RARE GOAL

CHRISTIAN BENTEKE will be back on the bench against Manchester City even though he’s signed a new deal and scored his first goal in six months.

And Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson warned Eagles fans that the Belgium striker’s goal drought in club football could get worse before it gets better.

Benteke has vowed to win back the doubters after this week signing on until the end of 2020/21.

Despite scoring in Belgium’s 9-0 rout of San Marino, Hodgson will keep faith with Jordan Ayew. He has scored three times in his last seven league games, with Benteke managing just four in his last 59 in all competitions.

Hodgson (right) said:

“We’ve played eight games, taken 14 points, one of our best-ever starts, but now Christian came on for 14 minutes and scored the seventh goal against San Marino, so he’s playing? I think that would be a bit harsh on Jordan Ayew! My experience tells me that’s not the right thing to do.

“We’ve got Jordan playing very well. All the time I’m selecting Jordan, Christian finds himself on the bench. There’s nothing to say one day that won’t reverse.” Benteke (right), a £27million signing from Liverpool in 2016, has started only two league games this season and there was a backlash from fans when his new contract was announced. But Hodgson said: “You can’t allow contracts to run out, especially for someone like Benteke, with his CV. It would be disappointing to see him find that form for someone else having let him leave on a free transfer.

“It’s the pressure, isn’t it? When you haven’t scored for a while. But it was great to see him score for Belgium. The longer you go without scoring, the worse the problem becomes.

“It can only be put right by Christian having the sort of season he did when he first came here.”