Christian Benteke urged to repay Crystal Palace’s faith after signing new two-year contract

BY ALESSANDRO SCHIAVONE

Former Crystal Palace player Gary O’Reilly has given his verdict on Christian Benteke signing a new two-year contract.

The Belgian international took the Premier League by storm in the last weeks of last season, netting five times in seven outings. He looked irrepressible in front of goal yet for some observers this sudden upturn in fortune had its roots in the former Liverpool striker looking for a new deal or to put himself in the shop window as his contract was running out.

O’Reilly said: “It does raise questions but you have to trust Steve Parish and the directors’ decision-making. Hopefully Christian Benteke can rediscover the scoring form that we know he had and repay the faith the club had put in him.

“I’ve always felt that Benteke was a confidence player and for strikers it’s a very simple equation – goals plus play equals confidence.

“If he is confident, he’s a better player and he gets more goals and therefore it’s a very positive cycle. He just needed to find the back of the net consistently for his confidence to return. Hopefully for Palace fans and the player himself that will happen.

“A new contract is a show of faith and belief in him from the club. And I hope that he shows them what that means to him by hitting the back of the net frequently.”