Sherwood confident over Benteke stay

Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood does not expect Liverpool’s reported interest in Christian Benteke to prise the Belgium striker away from Villa Park.

The completion of Raheem Sterling’s reported £49m switch from Liverpool to Manchester City on Tuesday has further stoked speculation that Brendan Rodgers will look to Benteke to bolster his Anfield forward line.

But Sherwood believes Liverpool already have the players to cope, making a move to match Benteke’s release clause unlikely in his eyes.

“I think he stays,” Sherwood told Sky Sports News HQ. “I think Liverpool – I looked the other day – have six or seven strikers at the club.

“Now I’m not sure how many they actually need. We know Christian is a very good player and we want to keep hold of him.

“If someone matches that buy-out clause there is nothing we can do about it but until that happens he is an Aston Villa player and we are all very pleased about that.”

Benteke scored 13 goals in 29 Premier League appearances in 2014-15, with his end-of-season form a vital ingredient in Villa steering clear of relegation.