John Barnes: 'Liverpool will have to change to suit Christian Benteke'

Former Liverpool midfielder John Barnes has suggested that his old side would have to change their style of play in order to accommodate Christian Benteke.

The Aston Villa striker has been linked with a move to Anfield, with recent reports suggesting that the Belgian wants to force through an exit this summer.

Barnes has said that Liverpool might have to play more direct if they were to get the best out of Benteke.

"Liverpool will have to adapt the way they play to suit Christian Benteke," he told talkSPORT. "When they play with Raheem Sterling, and Philippe Coutinho, they pass the ball through midfield and always want to score the perfect goal.

"With Benteke, you get the ball wide and then in the box, you need to be a little bit more direct.

"If he comes it will need a sweeping change in the way Liverpool play. Would that be a bad thing? Not necessarily, balance is important. At times Liverpool overplayed which really came off two years ago but didn't last season. He would cause people a lot of problems."

Benteke joined Villa from Genk in 2012.