Darren Bent back to reality

Nov 16 2009 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

DARREN Bent hasn't given up on his dream of making the World Cup finals - despite not having much chance to shine on his first international start in more than three-and-a-half years.

The Sunderland striker insists his form over the next few months for the Black Cats will determine if he can stake a genuine claim to be part of the England squad heading for South Africa next summer, following the disappointment of Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Brazil in Doha. The former Tottenham player and Wayne Rooney did not have much chance to make an impact as the five-times world champions dominated possession for long periods.

But Bent is determined to take the positives from the game and maintain his sparkling form for Steve Bruce’s side

in the hope it will persuade Fabio Capello to take him to South Africa.

He said: “You are not going to be judged on one game and there are so many Premier League games between now and the end of the season.

“The main thing is to take the positives from this game, keep my Sunderland form going and, if I keep doing that, I know I’ll be there or thereabouts for selection.

“Sunderland is more important than anything at the moment. If I am not doing a job there I am not going to get a chance for England. I will go back there, keep working hard and see what happens. Every game I play is like a learning curve and Brazil are a top side and made it difficult for us. The main thing is to learn from it.”