In an interview with Belgian publication Sport/Voetbalmagazine, Liverpool striker Christian Benteke has bemoaned his lack of playing time at Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp, claiming that he would never have signed for the club if he thought he’d only be used sporadically.
The 25-year-old, who was brought to Anfield by Brendan Rodgers for a whopping £32.5m last summer, has struggled to shine under Klopp.
Recently, he has fallen down the striking pecking order at the club, behind the likes of Roberto Firmino, netting just one goal in his last 16 appearances. In the interview, Benteke pines for Rodgers and has a pop at the current Reds’ boss. He says:
What’s annoying me the most, is that I would have never signed for Liverpool if I wasn’t the manager’s first choice. Everything was there to play a good season at a big club. And it started well, (but) I am the first to admit that I haven’t shown enough my worth for a team like Liverpool.
On the other hand, under Brendan Rodgers, I knew I would get the opportunity to show my qualities, to show that I was worth the money and that I deserved to wear the shirt of Liverpool. But now?
When your coach says he wanted to take you to Dortmund and a little later you sit at the same club and he ignores you, it is hard to understand.
Benteke then goes on to criticise the Liverpool fans, something which surely won’t go down to well with the Anfield faithful…
If I give a bad pass, I get the feeling that (the supporters) resent me more than anyone else. It’s hard to play football then relax.
One imagines Klopp won’t be too happy with all this, and while Benteke turned down a move to the Chinese Super League in January, one wonders if his time with the Reds is coming to an end, with a move away from Anfield surely on the cards this summer.
If he does move, we’re not sure too many Liverpool fans will be too broken-hearted either.