Bent harbours 2012 ambition

Bent: Unfortunate

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Darren Bent is hoping his luck will turn, allowing him to play a leading role for England in Euro 2012 qualification.

The Sunderland striker was hoping to stake a claim for a starting berth with the Three Lions in their recent friendly date with Hungary, until injury laid him low.

Having missed out on this summer's World Cup after being consistently overlooked by Fabio Capello, that contest was supposed to be Bent's big chance.

He admits that fortune has certainly not favoured him of late, but remains confident that he can still do a job at international level.

With European Championship qualifiers set to get underway in early September, Bent is hoping he can maintain his fine form at domestic level and earn another opportunity to prove his worth.

"I saw him [Capello] at the last squad and when I had to pull out, he said it was unfortunate, but he told me to keep working hard and more opportunities would come, and hopefully they will," Bent said at the Black Cats' Academy of Light training ground as part of the Disney XD's Aim High mentorship initiative.

"The disappointment four years ago was hard and for it to happen again is extra hard.

Fight

"But at the same time, I am up for the fight. There's a chance there for me again.

"I was selected for the first squad after the World Cup - it was just unfortunate about my back.

"But I know there's a qualifier coming up and if I can keep knocking them in for Sunderland again and playing well, there is no reason why I can't be in that squad."

Bent admits there was a time when he wondered whether his opportunity would ever come, forcing him to consider international retirement, but he is now more determined than ever to make the grade with England.

He said: "I sat and talked to my family and all my friends. You get people with different views and there's a time when you start thinking, 'Is there a chance for me?', 'Am I ever going to get that chance?'.

"But you can't think like that, you have just got to keep working hard, keep focusing, keep believing, which is what I do, and hopefully it will come.

"That's all I can do. The moment I stop doing that, I might as well hang my boots up."