Darren Bent is not a name many people would suggest when asked who the best Premiership striker is. Instead, you would hear the likes of Torres, Drogba and Rooney.

However, because of injuries and lack of form – it’s easy to see why Bent is getting increased media attention and being touted for further involvement in the England setup. With Bent also scoring his first England goal this year, the question remains as to how long Sunderland can keep hold of him. So, why is Bent so special?

Attributes

He is tall and incredibly quick, meaning he can play alongside virtually anybody up front or by operating as a lone striker. He scores goals with both feet and utilises his height and agility to get his head on the end of speculative crosses, recently seen when he scored the equalising goal against Liverpool. He uses his pace to good effect by latching onto through-balls and beating the offside trap against defenders that are slow to react.

Injury free

Last season Bent was involved in all thirty eight of Sunderland’s league games, an impressive record given the amount of running that the pacey forward puts in each week. With Kenwyne Jones now at Stoke and new boy Asamoah Gyan yet to fully prove himself, Steve Bruce hopes his fitness levels remain sky-high.

Goalscoring record

Bent has consistently been hitting the back of the net since breaking into Ipswich’s first team. For the Tractor Boys he hit 46 goals in his first full 3 seasons, at Charlton he scored 31 in 68, and he even managed 18 goals in 60 appearances whilst competing with Robbie Keane, Jermaine Defoe and Peter Crouch at Spurs. Last season he was Sunderland’s top scorer with 25 goals and is averaging a goal a game this season.

Knows the game

Bent is still only twenty six, yet has played for three Premier League clubs with vastly experienced managers. He learnt his trade at Ipswich under George Burley and Joe Royle, before being managed by Alan Curbishley at Charlton and Harry Redknapp at Spurs. He continues to improve under the guidance of Manchester United hero, Steve Bruce.

Attitude

Although it didn’t work out for him in North London, Bent wasted no time settling into the groove at Sunderland – scoring on his debut, a 1-0 win over Bolton. Despite missing out on a place to South Africa and seeing the like of Emile Heskey (who hardly featured for Villa at the end of season) travel, Bent refused to speak out against the decision to leave him behind. Instead, saying that it was the manager’s choice and that he simply needed to further prove himself.

Written By Jon Ireland