Bent gets England call
Darren Bent called up by England for friendly against Brazil in Qatar
Monday, 09, Nov 2009 10:29
By Alistair Potter.
Sunderland striker Darren Bent has been rewarded for his recent good form with an England call-up ahead of this weekend's friendly against Brazil in Qatar.
There are also places in the squad for Spurs midfielders Tom Huddlestone and Jermaine Jenas and Aston Villa defender Stephen Warnock as they look to impress Fabio Capello ahead of next summer's World Cup finals in South Africa.
Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott is also included, while goalkeepers Ben Foster, Rob Green and Joe Hart will fight it out for the number one jersey.
Despite missing a penalty for his club side in their 2-0 defeat at former club Spurs on Sunday, Bent will be in the squad after scoring eight times for the Black Cats this season.
However, he has not hit the net since scoring the controversial 'beach ball goal' that earned his side a 1-0 win over Liverpool in mid-October.
One of several high-profile absentees is midfielder David Beckham, who will miss the game in the Middle East in order to be available for club side LA Galaxy for the Major League Soccer Western Conference final on Friday.
Galaxy beat Chivas 1-0 in the second leg of their conference semi-final on Sunday to earn the right to play Houston Dynamos for a place in the MLS Cup final later this month.
Injury victims Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard, David James, Carlton Cole and Aaron Lennon all miss out on while Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole is excluded as he continues to work his way back from injury.
Full England squad to play Brazil in Qatar:
Goalkeepers: Ben Foster (Manchester United), Robert Green (West Ham), Joe Hart (Manchester City)
Defenders: Wayne Bridge (Manchester City), Wes Brown (Manchester United), Gary Cahill (Bolton), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Joleon Lescott (Manchester City), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham), Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa)
Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham), Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), James Milner (Aston Villa), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City), Ashley Young (Aston Villa)
Strikers: Darren Bent (Sunderland), Peter Crouch (Tottenham), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)