Paul Lambert 'disappointed' in Benteke, despite Villa win

The Villains put themselves through to the next round of the Capital One Cup, largely thanks to the two “world class” strikes from the 21-year-old Belgian.

But Lambert believes, despite his increasing goal tally, the youngster’s performance was sub-par.

"Benteke has had a quality start at Villa,” said the new Villa boss.

“But his game wasn't up to my standards."

Benteke transferred to Villa this summer from Belgian side Genk for a reported fee of £7million. He has since made 8 appearances for and netted an impressive 4 goals.

But a goal every two games ratio is not enough to win his manager’s praise just yet. Lambert expects a lot more to come from the 6ft3” forward.

"His two goals were world-class finishes but you set yourself a standard and we've got to keep him up to that. Why did he fall short? I don't know.”

Lambert has struggled in his start at Villa Park. They sit uncomfortably close to the relegation zone, placed 17^th in the Premier League after winning just one game of their 9 fixtures so far this term.

Lambert took the reigns in June of this year, replacing Alex McLeish who was sacked after an abysmal season in which Aston Villa finished 16^th.

Lambert’s summer acquisition of the Belgian looks to have been a good bit of business from the Scotsman, who insisted the best is yet to come.

"But he has been brilliant since he came here and he will get better. He is only 21 and has been a pleasure to work with. He is going to be a big player."

The Villains face a tough month this November – they travel to Sunderland this weekend, followed by showdowns with ‘top four’ trio Manchester United, Manchester City, and Arsenal in consecutive Premier League fixtures.

Should they fail to take any points away from the Stadium of Light, they might find themselves in a spot of bother come December. It’s shaping up to be a long cold winter for Paul Lambert.

image: © ell brown