Benteke’s nothing to prove on Kop return

SAM ALLARDYCE has told Christian Benteke he has nothing to prove when he returns to Liverpool tomorrow.

Benteke heads back to Anfield for the first time since his 12-month spell on Merseyside was ended by a £27m move to Crystal Palace.

The Belgian (inset) was not wanted by Kop boss Jurgen Klopp but has rediscovered his best form – with three goals in four games – as Palace have moved up the table.

Palace boss Allardyce said: “In the end, it wasn’t a very good experience for him. It wasn’t what he wanted or expected. 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 with 12 Premier League goals in a struggling team and that goes a long way to proving how good a centre-forward he is.

“It’s a little like Andy Carroll, who 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 up and moving on in the Premier League. Christian can hopefully be that for Crystal Palace.”

Allardyce believes Benteke can still become a Champions League striker but warned him against trying too hard to make a point in front of the Liverpool fans.

He said: “He’s got all the credentials for it. We’ll help him as much as we can, but it’s down to him giving consistent performances.

“If you go back to one of your old clubs, it’s natural for players to want to show them what they might be missing. “From Christian’s point of view, I don’t want him to get a little overzealous 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 has been offering the team recently by trying to do too much to prove how good he is.”