Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has warned other Premier League clubs that Christian Benteke will be even more devastating this season than he was last term.

Benteke used his pace and power last season to score 19 Premier League goals, but Lambert believes that the Belgian has been even more impressive in pre-season.

"Looking at him since he's come back from his break and the games he's played he's been excellent," Sky Sports News quotes Lambert as saying.

"He's not lost his goalscoring exploits. To me, Christian is just getting better. He's grown in confidence a lot. He's a big, big athlete and a really top footballer.

"I'm not going to put levels of expectancy on him. If he goes out and tries his best and gives it everything he's got then I think that's all you can ever ask of anybody."

Benteke has scored six times in 15 caps for Belgium.