Tuesday 30 September 2014 22:56, UK
Dwight Yorke believes the return of striker Christian Benteke will provide a huge boost for Aston Villa.
The Belgian frontman is in line to make his long-awaited return from an Achilles injury he suffered in April against Manchester City on Saturday.
The 23-year-old was a revelation in his first season in the Premier League when he scored 19 goals in 34 appearances after joining from Genk in 2012.
Injuries caused the forward to miss 12 league games last season but Yorke believes Benteke can take the team to another level if he can stay fit and regain his best form.
"It's been a long time and he has to take it easy but it is good news for Villa," Yorke said.
"He had an amazing first season and there's always one unknown candidate who comes in who people are not sure of, like (Leonardo) Ulloa at Leicester this season.
"The last two or three seasons have not been great (for Aston Villa) and there was one in particular where Benteke kept them up.
"There are always questions of whether he could do it the next year but unfortunately the injury knocked him down, he missed the World Cup and dropped behind (Romelu) Lukaku (for Belgium)."
Former Villa forward Yorke said Benteke will need to be allowed time to find best form and he challenged the rest of Villa’s players to step up their play while he does so.
“People in the team need to be doing a bit more for me,” he said. “Winning football matches breeds confidence within the club.
“Benteke was a breath of fresh air when he first came in and everyone started playing to a certain level and I've not seen that when he's been injured.
"Villa are going through a difficult run of games but have got off to a good start and hopefully they can come through the next couple and progress."
