Aston Villa: Achilles injury sidelines Benteke

Christian Benteke has suffered a serious achilles tendon injury in training that has wrecked the remainder of his season at Aston Villa and the dream of representing Belgium at the World Cup finals.

The striker will also find that the suitors hoping to prise him from Villa Park in the summer, chief among them Tottenham Hotspur, may look elsewhere.

Benteke went down in training yesterday, as the team prepared for the home Premier League match against Fulham tomorrow, and scans have revealed a rupture that will require surgery and an absence of at least six months.

"It's a terrible blow both for Christian and for the club," said Villa manager Paul Lambert. "He will miss the rest of the season . . . and also the World Cup."

Benteke proved to be one of the signings of last season after his €8.5 million move from Genk, scoring 23 goals for Villa, 19 of them in the league and, although his numbers have dropped in this campaign – he has 10 league goals, plus one in the Capital One Cup – he was likely to have been a hot transfer property this summer.

Tottenham have scouted him extensively and they were preparing to test Villa’s resolve to keep him.

His injury is likely to mean greater involvement in Brazil for Belgium team-mate Romelu Lukaku.
Guardian Service