The manager singled out the Belgian for praise following his debut.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers was full of praise for summer signing Christian Benteke following Sunday’s win over Stoke City, via Sky Sports.
The giant Belgian was brought in in a big money move from Aston Villa this summer and has been tasked with scoring the goals to get Liverpool back into the Champions League next season.
He didn’t manage to open his account against the Potters, with a Philippe Coutinho strike sealing the victory, but Rodgers was full of praise for his new centre forward following his debut in Sunday’s game.
“I thought Christian Benteke was outstanding,” he told Sky Sports.
“[He] showed all the elements of his game today, his touch, his hold up play and his movement in behind. He occupies a back four on his own sometimes.”
A bit of long ball
There have been questions over Benteke joining Liverpool, with many suggesting his style of play does not fit in with that currently being employed by Rodgers side.
While his teams are known for their passing, Benteke’s strength is arguably in the air, with former club Aston Villa having used that effectively during his time at the club.
However, the game against Stoke saw keeper’ Simon Mignolet seeking out their new striker with long balls on several occasions, suggesting Liverpool may seek to change their style to accommodate him.
And Rodgers says it is important his side have the possibility of changing things up when required.
“I think we have that possibility to do that [play long ball],” he added.
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