Benteke selection in doubt

Belgium boss Marc Wilmots admits that Christian Benteke’s lack of action for Liverpool is putting his participation at Euro 2016 in doubt.

The 25-year-old joined the Reds from Aston Villa for a reported £32.5million last summer, but has struggled to feature regularly for the Anfield outfit, making just 12 Premier League starts so far this term.

The front man’s game time has been particularly limited since the arrival of coach Jurgen Klopp on Merseyside in October, with his last league start coming in the 2-0 defeat to West Ham at the start of January.

The lack of action has become a growing concern for Wilmots, who admits that Benteke could miss out on a place in his final 23-man squad for the Euros.

He said: “It’s difficult. Klopp arrived at Liverpool and has made his choice. Now, Christian Benteke is full of doubt. It’s a shame for Benteke, but he still has time to show what he can do at Liverpool.”

Benteke’s cause has not been helped by the form of his fellow Belgium strikers this season, with Romelu Lukaku currently third in the Premier League scoring charts and Michy Batshuayi holding a similar standing in Ligue 1.

Benteke’s Liverpool and Belgium team-mate Divock Origi has also impressed of late, and appears to have moved ahead of his compatriot in the pecking order at Anfield.

Should Benteke be included in Belgium’s squad for Euro 2016 then he will come up against Italy, the Republic of Ireland and Sweden in Group E of the competition.

Wilmots’ side are available at 2.00 to top the group, while they are on offer at 1.10 to qualify for the knockout stages.