The Black Cats have lost eight of their 10 Premier League encounters since Bent departed in a £24million move back in January. That poor run of results has seen Steve Bruce's men plummet down the table, where they currently sit 15th and only five points clear of the drop zone. England international Bent, who has scored six goals in 11 games for Villa and was on target in their 2-1 victory at West Ham on Saturday, is hoping his old employees can salvage their season. Asked whether he has any sympathy for his former club and team-mates, Bent told the Daily Mail: "Of course. I had good times there. I never want to see them struggle and do badly so hopefully they'll turn it around. "It's disappointing to see them doing badly but, at the same time, as much as I'd like them to do well, I'd like Aston Villa to do even better. "All I can do is keep concentrating on Aston Villa." Bent has been pleased with his progress at Villa, who are unbeaten in three games and ninth in the standings. "It has gone really well," he added. "I'm playing more regularly for England now and scoring goals for Aston Villa. "I've had to (see my price tag as a positive). I've used it as a burden before when I moved to Spurs for big money and it weighed me down. But, to be fair, this time around I thought I would just get on with it. "Obviously people can keep saying what they want to say but as long as I keep sticking the ball in the net and Aston Villa keep playing well and winning games, that's all I care about, to be honest."
