Aston Villa announced today that their star striker Christian Benteke has suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon. He will undergo surgery to repair the damage and is expected to be out for six months. The injury also means that Belgium will be without the striker for the 2014 World Cup.
“Christian Benteke will undergo surgery after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon injury today in training,” a message on Villa’s official Twitter feed announced. “He will be out for a minimum of six months.”
“It’s a terrible blow both for Christian Benteke and for the club,” Villa manager Paul Lambert said. “He will miss the rest of the season, obviously, and also the World Cup. But he’ll work hard because that’s what he does and he’ll come back for us stronger than ever next season.”
The injury is a significant blow for Villa. However the club does sit in eight place on the EPL table, eight points clear of the relegation zone with a game in hand over 18th place Cardiff. The more concerning issue may be that Benteke will not be ready for the start of next season.
Benteke was a revelation in his first season in England, scoring 28 goals in 50 appearances for Aston Villa and Belgium to help his club preserve its Premier League status and his country reach Brazil 2014.
Last summer, it was rumored that Benteke had submitted a transfer request and was looking at joining Tottenham. Eventually he signed a new contract with Aston Villa which keeps him at the squad through the end of the 2016-17 season.
Benteke’s scoring has been down this year with just 11 goals in 29 games, but he was still expected to battle Everton loanee Romelu Lukaku for a starting spot up front for Belgium this summer in Brazil.
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