Chances for Liverpool striker Christian Benteke may be few and far between since German boss Jurgen Klopp took over at Anfield back in October, but the 25-year old showed he was up for the fight when he came off the bench to pot the winner as the Reds eeked out a last gasp victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday.
“It’s not the easiest of situations but you have to be ready. In a career you’ll never have only top moments, also your difficult times. It’s in the most difficult situations that the real warriors, the tough men and determined guys stand up,” he told Belgian media outlet HLN. “You have to be up for it. I have to take every chance, every minute the manager gives me: one minute, five minutes, 10 minutes, half an hour. I’ve still enough ambition and enough character to fight in difficult moments. I don’t give up easily. I fight till the end,” he continued before putting to bed rumours that he was angling for a move away from Anfield during the winter transfer window. “In my mind I was never thinking about a move (in January). I didn’t want to leave.”
While that doesn’t mean that the big man won’t be looking to jump ship in search of more playing time come the summer, he’s continually received backing from Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp with the German manager insistent that he has a future on Merseyside — not only that, but his claims of trying to sign the former Aston Villa man during his time at Borussia Dortmund have now been corroborated by the club’s marketing director.
“He was so expensive, so we couldn’t realise it,” Carsten Cramer told MirrorFootball. “We were in negotiations but the transfer fee was above £20 million, which was not possible for us,” he continued, confirming that Die Borussen were one of a number of clubs competing for Benteke’s signature. “I know Jurgen’s opinion and was kind of convinced about him.”
