Benteke: Klopp did not believe in me

New Crystal Palace signing Christian Benteke feels the arrival of Jurgen Klopp as manager effectively ended his Liverpool career.

The Belgium international joined Liverpool from Aston Villa in July 2015 but failed to make an impact at Anfield and was largely consigned to the bench after Brendan Rodgers was replaced by Klopp in October.

Benteke signed a four-year deal with Palace on Saturday to end his time at Liverpool and he believes the change of manager was one of the main reasons behind his disappointing spell.

“A lot of things happened at Liverpool,” Benteke told the Palace website.

“When I arrived it was with Rodgers as manager, but then he was sacked and Klopp came in and had his own plan.

“But that’s part of football. I could have done better, but I think I also needed some trust from the manager and the staff.”

The 25-year-old will be looking to get his career back on track at Selhurst Park under Alan Pardew and is confident he will be a success at Palace.

“I’m very happy to commit my future to Crystal Palace and I’m looking forward to meeting the manager, the players and the staff,” Benteke added.

“I feel really happy that the deal has been done and now I can look forward because it’s been going on for a long time, but now I think everything is going to be OK. 

“I’ve met the manager a few times before I signed and that’s why I wanted to come here. I was really happy to hear about his project and that is why I am excited to come here.

“I did my own research too and there are some great wingers here and because of that I think I can be a success here.”