Damien Delaney says Crystal Palace should not treat Christian Benteke as their saviour by insisting: 'He's not Lionel Messi'.

Palace have smashed their club record transfer by spending £27million to bring in Belgium striker Benteke from Liverpool.

Manager Alan Pardew will assess the 25-year-old's fitness before deciding whether to hand him a debut against Blackpool in the EFL Cup at Selhurst Park on Tuesday night.

Palace's struggles in front of goal have continued this season as they are yet to find the net, losing both their games 1-0 to West Brom and, on Saturday, Tottenham.

But defender Delaney has warned Benteke will not be the answer to their goalscoring problems unless the rest of the team provides him with chances.

Delaney told the Evening Standard: