Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira has shed some light on why Christian Benteke joined Wayne Rooney’s DC United ahead of the Premier League opener against Arsenal.
The Belgian striker called time on his six-year spell with the Eagles to join the MLS side on Friday. Benteke arrived in south London side in 2016 for a club record transfer fee of £32.5million under former manager Alan Pardew, and went on to play 177 times for Palace, scoring 37 goals.
He was set to be involved in the matchday squad for Friday night’s Premier League fixture against Arsenal, which ended in a 2-0 defeat for the Eagles. But the 31-year-old was given the go ahead to step away from preparations for the fixture by Vieira to finalise his two-and-a-half year deal with DC, which includes an option for a further year.
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"This is something he wanted to do. When players want to play, and you can’t guarantee them time or games, you have to let them go," explained Vieira.
"Christian spent six years at this football club, and he was fantastic for the football club. This is something he wanted to do, and we wish him all the best."
Benteke, who had previous spells in the Premier League with Aston Villa and Liverpool, was the Eagles' top scorer in his first season with the club, netting 15 times in 36 league games. But goals were hard to come by for the Belgian in the years that followed.
Benteke scored just six times in three seasons (71 Premier League games) before hitting double figures with 10 goals in the 2020/21 campaign. Last season, the Belgian international netted four times in 25 appearances but started to fall down the pecking order following the arrivals of Odsonne Edouard and Jean-Phillipe Mateta.
After Benteke completed his move to DC United, Palace chairman Steve Parish said: "Christian has played a crucial role in this club’s Premier League journey, making an immediate impact after signing and playing a central role in the squad ever since.
"He’s someone I’ve enjoyed a great relationship with and he’s shown incredible loyalty staying with the club when he could easily have taken other options. We all wish him all the very best with the next stage of his career."
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