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When Jürgen Klopp threw on Christian Benteke with Liverpool trailing 3-1 in the Europa League final against Sevilla, there was a sense that it was the striker's final appearance for the Reds. After all, his lack of playing time paired with disgruntled comments from both sides over the past few months seemed to indicate an imminent summer transfer.
But in the aftermath of the Sevilla defeat, which cost Liverpool a place in Europe next season, Benteke claimed he would be willing to hold talks with Klopp before he determines what he wants to do moving forward. And he hopes he can display his goalscoring quality over the summer while playing for Belgium to prove his worth.
"It has been a tough [first season]," Benteke said. "I know Liverpool is a massive club with a lot of pressure and a lot of good players, and it has not been easy [to settle in]. But I keep going and never doubt myself. I'm now going to focus on the Euros and see what happens next season."
While the striker acknowledged his struggles, he pointed out that some of his goals for Liverpool were important and were not in "5-0 or 4-0" blowout games. Even so, he hopes to improve upon his performance level at Anfield.
"It was not my best season," Benteke said. "But I want to look forward."