MX23RW : Wednesday, November 27 00:19:40| >> :120:8688:8688:

Damien Delaney: 'Christian Benteke is no Lionel Messi'

Crystal Palace defender Damien Delaney attempts to play down expectations of new signing Christian Benteke by saying that the Eagles "haven't signed Lionel Messi".

Crystal Palace defender Damien Delaney has suggested that striker Christian Benteke will not score goals for the Eagles unless his teammates provide him with the service.

On Saturday, Palace announced that Benteke had signed a four-year deal at Selhurst Park but despite the outfit paying a club-record fee for the Belgian international, Delaney has said that supporters should not expect too much from their new signing.

The 35-year-old told the Evening Standard: "We're not signing [Lionel] Messi, he's a good player but he's not a player who is going to get the ball and make things happen.

"He brings a presence, he's a handful, but Connor Wickham is as well. It's time we stop talking about things and go and win games."

Benteke could make his Palace debut when they host Blackpool in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night.

ID:279630: cacheID:279630:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:1417:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Damien Delaney of Palace looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal on August 16, 2015
Read Next:
Speroni, Delaney sign new Palace deals
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Fulham125341717018
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle125341313018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham124351519-415
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!