Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert believes that Christian Benteke was always going to struggle in an attempt to match his impressive debut Premier League campaign.

Benteke scored four times in as many games in a blistering start to the season, but is without a goal since September after spending six weeks on the sidelines with a hip injury.

Lambert thinks that Benteke has taken some time to recover after encountering injury problems for the first time in his career, but remains confident that his star striker is primed to respond against West Bromwich Albion tonight.

He told The Mirror: "It's an absolute impossibility for any footballer to do what he did over that time. No way can a footballer sustain that goal scoring.

"What he did last year was incredible. His ratio of taking chances was extremely high. Last year he never got injured, only got a red in the second last game. Everything he touched went in and that's unusual.

"He's in a spell now, he might have another one in three years, maybe in five, you don't know. I think Christian said himself that his injury at Norwich was the first he had ever encountered. He's had to overcome that and it can throw you a bit."

The 22-year-old scored 19 Premier League goals in his first season at Villa Park, helping Lambert's side pull clear of relegation danger after a difficult campaign.