Paul Lambert has insisted that Christian Benteke has been "doing well" for Aston Villa in recent weeks.

The striker is the club's top scorer this season with 15 goals in all competitions, although he has not found the target since the last week of January.

The manager told Sky Sports News: "I think of late he's been doing well for us. Up until his injury at Norwich I thought he was excellent. After that he didn't come back the same but I think in the last couple of months he is starting to get back to what he was.

"In the space of nine months he became one of the most talked about strikers, not just in Britain, but in Europe. All of a sudden things don't start going your way but that's part and parcel of being a footballer. You take the ups and downs. He'll probably get more downs than highs as a footballer, it's about how you come back from them.

"He's only a kid really at 22. I think people tend to forget he's a young guy. He was only 21 when he first came here. He's still a young guy who will be inconsistent because of his age."

Villa face Newcastle United in the Premier League on Sunday.