Villarreal vs Liverpool: Christian Benteke in line to return after recovering from knee problem

Christian Benteke is line to make his first Liverpool appearance in a month after manager Jurgen Klopp revealed the striker is fit for Thursday's (29 April) Europa League clash with Villarreal.

Benteke, 25, has not featured since the 3-2 defeat to Southampton on 20 March after suffering a knee ligament injury while on international duty with Belgium.

His future at Anfield has also come under further scrutiny in that time after complaining Klopp has been ignoring him since the German's arrival on Merseyside.

But with Divock Origi unavailable after suffering a serious injury of his own, Klopp could turn to Benteke for his side's first-leg clash at the Estadio El Madrigal.

"The best news is that Christian is back. He's not had too many training sessions in the last few weeks but he's come back in the last few days," Klopp told a press conference.

"He's not in his best shape but he's in really good shape, that's for sure. For us, it's perfect that he's back – we only have players here in Villarreal who are ready to play a part in the game, there are no tourists. So, if we need him, we can use him."

Benteke has been limited to just 13 league appearances for Liverpool since his £32.5m ($47.3m) arrival from Aston Villa last summer. While he boasts a healthy return of seven goals from that, questions over his long-term future have inevitably risen – although the striker recently insisted he is determined to continue fighting for his place.

"Obviously it has not been the best season for me here," Benteke said, according to the Liverpool Echo. "I haven't played like I want to and that is frustrating, but this is part of football. I never lose my self-confidence. But when you are not playing regularly you maybe lose a little bit of the speed or pace of the game compared to when you are playing in the side all of the time.

"You are just not as comfortable as when you play every weekend. Your match fitness isn't the same. There is no secret. When things aren't going well you just have to work harder and trust yourself. Even though things have not been as I wanted I'm really happy here. Playing for this club is exciting, just like I thought it would be. Now I want to finish this season well."