Report: Crystal Palace's Benteke out at least 6 weeks with knee injury

Crystal Palace's chances of finding the back of the net for the first time this season were dealt a blow Monday with news that striker Christian Benteke could be out for a while.

Scans on Benteke's knee apparently confirmed the team's fears that he suffered a significant ligament injury, and The Telegraph's Jason Burt reports the Belgian forward will be sidelined for at least six weeks.

The relegation-threatened team has yet to confirm the results of the scan. Benteke was forced to leave Palace's 5-0 loss to Manchester City on Saturday with the injury.

The loss of Benteke could force Palace to look for reinforcements on the free-agent market after letting Fraizer Campbell and Loic Remy leave last summer. Meanwhile, forward Connor Wickham has been out of action for almost a year with a cruciate injury.

Burt suggests that Palace may consider signing Rickie Lambert, who formerly played under new manager Roy Hodgson during their together with the English national team.