Christian Benteke recently left Liverpool for Premier League rivals Crystal Palace.
Paul Lambert has revealed in The Times what he told Christian Benteke about his quality when he was the manager of Aston Villa.
Lambert worked with Benteke at Villa before he was sacked the club’s manager in February 2015.
The former Blackburn Rovers and Norwich City boss has revealed what he told the Belgium international striker regarding his playing style and his quality.
The 47-year-old, who is without a managerial job at the moment, has also revealed how he stopped Benteke from leaving Villa when he was in charge of the Villans.
“It’s hard to say what happened at Liverpool,” Lambert wrote in The Times. “Sometimes when you move, it’s almost as though you flip a coin and hope it works out. You need the right environment, the right manager to get the best out of you — and a little bit of luck.
“At Villa I told him: ‘You’re big, you’re strong, get up the pitch and you will cause havoc because of your size’.
“He has a great touch, it’s not all brute strength and power. I remember, after his first year at Villa, I had so many people wanting to take him from us. It was unbelievable.
“But I always said no. I had a word with him and said: ‘Give me one more year and then you can go anywhere you want to go’.”
Benteke joined Liverpool from Villa in the summer of 2015 for a transfer fee reported by Sky Sports at the time to be worth £32.5 million.
The 25-year-old failed to make a huge impact at Anfield last season, scoring just nine goals and creating 30 chances in 29 Premier League matches.
The former Genk and Standard Liege striker moved to London outfit Crystal Palace from Liverpool earlier this month for a transfer fee reported by The Daily Mail to be worth £32m.
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