Bent unhappy with Aston Villa rotation

Aston Villa striker Darren Bent is unhappy with his role at the club and has reiterated his desire to play every week in the Premier League.

Despite starting the first five games of the club’s league campaign, the 28-year-old was dropped for their shock League Cup win against Manchester City and has since seen himself demoted to substitute appearances, with new Belgian signing Christian Benteke given chances up front.

The former Tottenham forward has also lost the captaincy to Ron Vlaar and dropped out of the England squad under Paul Lambert’s tenure, but the manager insists that there is no problem between himself and his striker.

“No, not really. Any player who values himself wants to play week in, week out. In rotation it is hard to find a rhythm but it was the manager’s decision,” Bent told talkSPORT when asked if he was happy with his role.

“You have to live by that and you have to keep working hard.”

Villa sit just above the relegation zone in 17th and host Norwich City on Saturday, a match which sees Lambert welcome the side who he formerly took from League One to the Premier League in consecutive seasons.

Following that game, the Villans face a tough fixture list in November – travelling to their former manager Martin O’Neill’s Sunderland and visiting the reigning champions Manchester City, while also hosting Manchester United and Arsenal.