Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has challenged Christian Benteke to maintain his prolific form ahead of Monday’s trip to Manchester United.
The Belgian striker has been nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award following an excellent season which has seen him linked with the likes of Manchester City, Tottenham and Arsenal after netting 15 Premier League goals since joining from Genk.
Villa head to Old Trafford three points above the relegation zone after a recent upturn in fortunes and, although Benteke’s performances have played a big part in that surge, Lambert does not believe the plaudits he has received, or the subsequent speculation regarding his future, will impact his play.
He said: “I’m not bothered if he’s nominated or not, as long as he’s performing for this club. Whether he wins it or not, we’ll have to wait and see. I don’t think it’ll affect him one bit.
“If he remains the way he is at this minute, he’ll do very well for himself. Christian himself wouldn’t want to speak about anything like that at the minute. Things like that take care of themselves.
“I just don’t want him to be a one-season wonder. He’s doing his job, and that’s all you can ask of him. He’s playing, scoring goals, he’s been great.”
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