With a year to go until the Euro 2012 Championships in Poland and Ukraine, one man determined to be in England's starting line-up come the tournament is Aston Villa's 27-year-old striker Darren Bent. The former Ipswich, Charlton, Spurs and Sunderland forward has finally been given a chance with the national team and is beginning to prove his worth with three goals in his last three appearances, all of which were away from home.
This weekend's home match against Switzerland is an ideal chance for Bent to really force his way into Fabio Capello's first choice XI with Wayne Rooney suspened and both Jermain Defoe and Andy Carroll sidelined with injury. If the Villa man can get on the scoresheet at Wembley then he will take some shifting from the Three Lions set-up.
Bent has split opinion over the years, and was unfortunate enough to miss out on the final squad for both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups despite finishing as the Premier League's highest scoring Englishman in the 05/06 season and just two goals behind Rooney with 24 in 09/10. A less-than-satisfactory stint at Tottenham where Bent didn't see eye-to-eye with Harry Redknapp marked the low point of the London-born striker's career but since then he has gone from strength to strength at both Sunderland and Villa and has won over many football fans with his unparalleled scoring consistency.
In the Premier League, Bent has been at the right end of the top-scorers chart every season since he burst onto the scene and has developed a knack of scoring against the big teams on a regular basis. His goal-poacher's instinct is superior to that of Defoe, Crouch et al and with the manager's faith he is well placed to kick on and fulfill his dream of being 'England's number nine at a major tournament'. The major threat to this however, is the emergence of Carroll, Liverpool's £35m January signing.
If Carroll has a successful season at Anfield next year then Bent's England place could well be in jeopardy. With Rooney seemingly guaranteed a place in the side regardless of form or formation, there is only one striking berth to play for. Carroll is obviously lacking Bent's experience and his finishing prowess is not quite the same yet, but the pony-tailed Geordie possesses strength and a much-more explosive game than anybody else at England's disposal. Liverpool's new number nine had a great first half to the season with Newcastle United and has shown promise under Kenny Dalglish despite injuries curtailing his season.
For Bent to cement his position within both the supporters' hearts and Capello's mind it is vital that he maintains his scoring form, as his style of play means his other contributions are minimal (although he does hold the ball up better than he is given credit for). The Switzerland qualifier is an ideal opportunity for Bent and with a friendly against Holland in August and two more qualifiers in early September, he certainly should have ample opportunity to make his mark. His talent for goalscoring is unquestionable, but if he can't win over the fans and manager then he may find himself going the same way as Andy Cole and Les Ferdinand, ranked second and fifth respectively in the list of all-time Premier League top scorers, but who could only muster a paltry 32 England caps and 6 goals between them. Now must be Darren's time to shine.
