Buzzin Football Blog

darren bent in england squad

The top scoring Englishman in the Premier League has at long last been rewarded for his efforts by being called up for the England squad ahead of this Saturday’s friendly in Qatar against Brazil.

Sunderland’s Darren Bent who joined the club for a record £10million from Spurs during the summer, has had an immediate impact scoring eight goals in the Premier League this season.

Having endured a torrid time at Tottenham, where he scored a hatful of goals in pre season only to find himself well down the pecking order of strikers, particularly since Harry Redknapp took over as manager, the striker is enjoying a new lease of life in the North East, where above all, he feels he is wanted.

Now playing regular football again, Bent has proved that he has not lost his eye for goal-even though he missed a crucial penalty against Spurs on Saturday-and his patience has been rewarded with his inclusion in the England squad.

It is good to see that Fabio Capello has been true to his word and chosen a player who is currently on top of his game, although whether he will feature in the friendly on Saturday remains to be seen, but his goal scoring record this season says that he should at least be given a chance to prove himself.

Steve Bruce was delighted to hear of the call up for a player he obviously thinks has been overlooked for too long, saying;

“When we first signed him, I was amazed at his natural ability in front of goal and said to myself ‘this lad’s going to be a top player for this club, that’s for sure’. If you look at the number and type of goals he’s scored this season, it shows what a well-rounded player he is.

Darren is a top lad with an immaculate work-rate on and off the pitch and it’s a testament to his record and attitude that Mr Capello has decided to add him to the squad.”

Bent played his first game for England in 2006 and has played four times for the senior team without scoring, his record at Under 21 level is 14 games with 8 goals scored.