Paul Lambert has insisted that bringing Christian Benteke to Aston Villa was the right move for the club.
The Belgian's introduction at Villa Park has seen the club's record signing Darren Bent left off the team sheet for much of the season.
The manager told The Sun: "I don't think about reputations. They don't win you games and, as an individual, you have to buy into the team. When I came in last year, it was a case of getting somebody to play alongside Darren.
"Then I started looking at the squad, what system was going to suit, and ended up playing one guy up front, and the best one for that was Christian Benteke. And seeing his form, you can see why.
"There was nothing personal in it but we had to get a team that was going to win games. I stuck with it and I don't think anyone can argue with what's happened. Right from the off, Christian scored. He was an absolute cornerstone for us."
Benteke has scored 19 goals in the league this season.
Sian Cowper
