Aston Villa v Manchester City: Darren Bent's mission: to prove he really is better than Harry Redknapp's missus But that nagging doubt about whether a consistent flurry of goals will still be enough to cement his place on the England plane must be there. He said: "He [Capello] left me out of the last World Cup squad but after that he picked me and played me every time I was fit so I thought I had a good chance of going to the Euro's this year, so it is just a shame he has quit. Now it is like the first day of school again, isn't it? Everybody has to impress and I'm sure there were people who were out of the mix who think they have a chance. All I have to keep doing is what I'm doing, play well for Aston Villa and no one can really ignore goals. If I can keep playing well and scoring goals I will get picked. If Harry is the manager or somebody else is the manager they will see that and pick me. Was there an issue betwen me and Harry? Not so much. A lot was built off that one quote. I didn't even know about it until the next day when it all blew up. But after a while it didn't bother me, really. People were asking me what Ithought but in my next game I scored two against Bolton. It is that steely resolve that has enabled Bent to overcome many other detractors. He has over a century of goals in the Premier League - only Wayne Rooney has scored more over the last seven campaigns - and his record at Spurs was nowhere near as bad as it is perceived, yet his presence in England's starting XI is seen as more a glaring example of the lack of forwards currently operating in this country. Last month the 28 year-old was dragged into a protracted transfer saga, with claims that he was heading to Liverpool as part of a possible exchange deal with Andy Carroll. But the window slammed shut without any turbulence and Bent is now fully focused on helping Villa, and their manager Alex McLeish, finish a capricious campaign strongly. He said: "I have said for a while that I want to stay at Villa for a long time now. I am settled here, and I hope I can do it. Last month was easy for me. I didn't have to come out and say anything because I knew the situation, and the people around me did too. I hope it will show on the pitch with my commitment to the cause now and long may that continue. Now January is out of the way, we know what players we've got and we're all fighting for the same goal which is to finish in the top ten. Finding the solution to Villa's dreadful home form is the key. With only three victories on their own turf all season, it has made McLeish's bitter defection from Second City rivals Birmingham even easier for supporters to use as an excuse. The prospect of Roberto Mancini's title chasers today will bring the best out of Bent, however, although he must find a way past Hart. "He's probably the best in the world right now," he said. Considering how young he is he seems to have age beyond his years. Last January Bent got the better of Hart, however, when he scored on his Villa debut as Gerard Houllier's side recorded an impressive 1-0 win over City. "I gave him a bit of stick after that," says Bent. With England we are always having banter about penalty saves and stuff like that, he's a really nice guy. It's between them and United [for the title]. A lot of times City have pulled away but United showed that never say die attitude and pegged it back.