Christian Benteke was forced to miss the World Cup after rupturing his Achilles tendon in April, but he might be close to suiting up for Aston Villa again. Manager Paul Lambert spoke about his recovery and said that it's possible the Belgian could return this weekend against Manchester City.
Christian Benteke could return for Aston Villa against Manchester City
Chris Brunskill
“I’ll have that dialogue with him. We’ll see how he feels,” said the Villa boss about Benteke’s potential return. “If we think he’s justified to go in with his fitness levels then that’s something that myself and the staff will decide.”
Lambert says that Benteke has been in full training for two weeks, and that they're not rushing Benteke back. And, at the moment, they have absolutely no reason not to take their time. The Villains currently sit in sixth despite drawing a very tough run of fixtures to start the season, and even if they struggle with difficult matches ahead against City, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton, they should still sit comfortably above the drop zone.
Before suffering his injury last season, Benteke had scored 10 Premier League goals. While Villa are playing well at the moment, they really could use a boost up top -- they've only scored four times in six games. They're also less likely to keep clean sheets while star defender Ron Vlaar recovers from a calf strain, and he's unlikely to play against City.
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