Blow for Bent as ankle injury set to rule him out of European finals Published on Tuesday 28 February 2012 04:04 Darren Bent's hopes of playing for England in the Euro 2012 finals appear to be shattered after it was confirmed he will be sidelined for up to three months with ruptured ankle ligaments. The Aston Villa striker visited a top ankle specialist in London yesterday and his worst fears were confirmed by the Midlands club. It means he is unlikely to be available until the end of May, with the Euro finals getting under way just over a week later in Poland and the Ukraine. With Wayne Rooney suspended for the opening two games of the tournament, Bent was set to play a key role for his country. He was desperate to play in a major tournament for the first time after being overlooked for the 2006 and 2010 World Cup squads. But the setback suffered during Villa's goalless draw at Wigan in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday looks to have put paid to those hopes. Villa said in a statement: "Darren Bent has undergone scans and he has seen a top ankle specialist this afternoon in London. He faces up to 12 weeks on the sidelines having ruptured ankle ligaments in his left foot in the game against Wigan and he is unlikely to play again this season. Dr Ian McGuinness and the Villa medical staff have been liaising with the England medical team about the extent of his injury. Darren will undergo a further examination in seven days to determine the need for an operation. The FA also confirmed that full-back Kyle Walker will miss the Netherlands friendly with an ankle injury, although caretaker manager Stuart Pearce has not called up any replacements for his absentees, meaning Danny Welbeck, Daniel Sturridge and Fraizer Campbell remain his only three orthodox strikers. Meanwhile, James Milner believes Pearce has all the right credentials to lead England into the Euro 2012 finals if chosen by the Football Association board. Milner has first-hand experience of Pearce's qualities and was impressed with his preparations from working under him for two European Championship finals as England Under-21 coach. Pearce will be in charge for the friendly international at Wembley and has indicated he would be willing to lead his country in Poland and Ukraine as Fabio Capello's replacement. Milner said: "The timing is not as ideal as you would want, changing manager so close to a major tournament, but we will go in as well prepared as we can be. If Stuart Pearce is manager the Euros it is not a problem for me. He is a great manager, was a great player, and in the two Under-21 tournaments we were unlucky on both occasions. We should have won at least one at them but what I noticed was that in the tournaments I had under him, we went in very well prepared. He thinks about every aspect which could come up in a tournament, every eventuality, how we are going to have to play, and how to plan for combating certain teams. That's the most important thing going into a tournament, you want to feel you are ready and that it is not going to be a problem. Milner was given his debut against the Dutch by Capello and is personally disappointed to see the Italian leave the role. He said: "I've got a lot to thank him for. He is someone who had the confidence to give me my England debut and give me a lot of games. He was fantastic for me. It was great to work with him and learn what I could from him and I'm sad he has gone.