Sunday 6 March 2016 12:06, UK
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is 'not worried' by Christian Benteke's form, saying the striker is showing signs of improvement.
Benteke has struggled since his £32.5m switch to Anfield from Aston Villa last summer, scoring seven goals in 32 appearances in all competitions for the club, and is yet to start a match for Klopp's side in 2016.
However, the 25-year-old came off the bench during Wednesday's 3-0 victory over Manchester City, and Klopp insists he noticed an improvement in Benteke's game.
"If you saw him in the last game, he came on and was completely different to the games he had before," Klopp said ahead of Sunday's trip to Crystal Palace, live on Sky Sports.
"The problem is in a club like Liverpool with the strikers we have - [Daniel] Sturridge, Benteke, [Divock] Origi, [Danny] Ings - injured but here - and [Roberto] Firmino - you have not too much time to show what you are able to so you need to use the time you have got.
"Christian was not in the best moment in this situation and Sturridge and Divock came back and now they are little bit ahead but when I saw Christian coming on in the last game he played really good.
"I am not worried."
Origi started in the win against City, in the absence of the rested Sturridge, and Klopp believes the 20-year-old has benefited from the time he spent on the sidelines with a hamstring injury sustained on Boxing Day.
"Divock can improve every part of his game," said Klopp. "He is smart enough to go behind the line, use his speed and is technically good enough to play with us and be an option and that is a really good situation.
"It was not he played the most self-confident football in the world so he started with too much dribbling and wanted to show in one situation all skills he has and that was not too clever.
"I have seen this a lot of time, especially with young players, so we talked to him and gave him a bit of rest to cool down and told him he didn't have to change the world in one day.
"We told him what he has to improve and everyone saw before his last injury he made really great steps.
"During his last injury he used the time and now he has more muscle which is important, especially as a striker in England as all the centre-halves are very physical."
