Darren Bent aims for starting place in England side
Sunderland striker Darren Bent has revealed that he is hoping to be named in the starting line-up when England take on Montenegro in a UEFA 2012 European Football Championship qualifying match on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old forward has begun to make his mark on the England first team in recent months, having scored his first international goal in a 3-1 qualifying win over Switzerland. His chances of being
given a starting place have been given a boost with the fact that squad regular Jermain Defoe is out injured while first-choice Wayne Rooney is struggling to shake off an ankle injury to be fit in time.
While Bent would love to be given the nod, he is not resting on his laurels and is working hard to impress national team coach Fabio Capello in training in a bid to make the starting XI.
Keen to impress
"Naturally I'd love to start, but it's not for me to guess what Mr Capello is going to do. He has his own ideas, so who knows? He can surprise people. Knowing what I know already about the way the England
manager works, my immediate goal is not starting the game but showing up well in training, because that is what he looks for," he told the Guardian.
Bent has suffered from disappointment with England in the past as he was omitted from the squad which took part in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa despite scoring 25 goals last season. Although
he would love to play a part in England’s next World Cup campaign, he is concentrating on more short-term goals by becoming a regular fixture in the team and helping them to Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine.
“I just want a chance to play. The next World Cup is too far ahead to have as a target, so I'm looking to cement my place in the England set-up, maybe get a few more goals, and generally give myself the
chance of reaching the Euros [in 2012]. I'd love to go to a tournament with England, but it's probably best not to look too far into the future. Just try to do well in the next game and take it from there."
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