Bent is pushing for a starting berth in England's Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro on Tuesday. The 26-year-old has scored five Premier League goals this season, while he netted his first international strike last month in the win over Switzerland. And Bent is now hopeful of being utilised more consistently by England coach Capello, who said he saw the forward as having a key role in the future. "One for the future?" Bent told the Daily Mail. "Isn't that a bit late? Isn't that something you say about someone who's 19 or 20? I'm 26. I've been around for years. The future! "I'm kidding. No, I heard he'd (Capello) said that, and that has to be good. It's great. Hopefully, it means I'll get a good crack at it with England now." Bent also points to a difficult two-year period at Tottenham for making him the player he is today. Since leaving Spurs for the Stadium of Light, Bent has managed an impressive return of 29 league goals from 45 appearances. "I've had to score a lot of goals to get to this point," he said. "But I think it's probably made me a stronger person. "I had two hard seasons at Tottenham, and when it's going badly, when you're not getting games, when people are criticising you, you do get depressed; you get down. "But when I look back now I'm glad for the experience because it's made me a better person today."
