Christian Benteke insists he has proven that he is not just a one-season wonder and is targeting more goals when Aston Villa face Stoke City on Sunday.
The Belgium international took the Premier League by storm last year after signing in a £7.5million deal from Genk, bagging 19 top-flight goals, but got off to a slow start in his second season.
Benteke went 12 games without a goal after suffering from a loss of form and niggling injuries before finally coming good by rediscovering his knack of finding the back of the net for Villa.
He took his tally to nine Premier League goals with a double in the 4-1 victory over Norwich in their last home match and now aims to end the season on a high.
“I knew my second season would be hard, because now people know me and they wait for me,” he told The Mirror.
“Last season I stayed injury-free and I was able with the help of my team-mates to perform to a high level for most of the season. Now I have to confirm that what I showed last season I can maintain and even improve upon.
“It’s been difficult at times because it’s been up and down with my injuries, but this is not an excuse.
“It was quite hard when I had not scored for a few weeks, it’s a feeling of frustration. Confidence comes from scoring goals and that confidence then runs through the team.”
Benteke is expected to start when Villa entertain Stoke on Sunday with both clubs sat in mid-table on 34 points and battling for a top-half finish.
Villa can be backed at 2.14 to win this weekend with Stoke City 3.42 to take all three points while the draw is priced at 3.22 in the 1X2 market.
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