Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood has insisted that Christian Benteke was worth more to the club than the £32.5m which Liverpool paid to sign the striker in the summer.

After the Belgian scored 49 goals in 100 appearances for Villa in all competitions, the Reds activated a release clause in his contract to bring him to Anfield during the transfer window.

However, Sherwood is adamant that the former Genk striker was worth more to the club than the hefty sum, but explained that there was nothing that Villa could have done to prevent the move.

"Last Christmas there might not have been too many takers but he showed the quality that he has got over the latter part of the season, which prompted Liverpool to spend the money," Sherwood is quoted by The Express as saying.

"I expected them to pay that sort of money for Christian Benteke because of what he is, a top player. There was nothing the club could have done. We would have liked to have kept him, we valued him at a lot more than that.

"The clause was there for a reason and Liverpool matched it. But his value to the football club [Villa] would have been a lot more than that."

Benteke has scored twice in his first six competitive appearances for Liverpool, including a spectacular overhead kick in the defeat to Manchester United earlier in September, but he has been ruled out of Saturday's clash against his former club at Anfield.