Darren Bent in Roy Hodgson's plans for World Cup qualification

Darren Bent will miss England's friendly with Holland (GETTY IMAGES)

Striker Darren Bent has been told by new England manager Roy Hodgson that he will be part of his plans for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.

Bent suffered Euro 2012 heartbreak when he failed to recover from ankle ligament problems in time for when Hodgson announced his squad a week ago.

But the Aston Villa player, who was also not selected for the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, has been reassured about his international future during a phone call from Hodgson.

Bent said: "Roy rang me and told me he couldn't pick me for the Euros because I hadn't played any games and so he couldn't take the chance of taking me to a tournament.

"I've had three phone calls now to tell me I wouldn't be going to various tournaments but Roy's was the best and he was understanding and really good with me on the phone.

"He said to me that I would be part of the qualifiers (for the World Cup).

"My aim now is to perform well for Villa next season and then hopefully I will be picked by England as well."

Bent is determined to put his disappointment at not being part of the squad for Poland and Ukraine behind him.

He said: "Training the next day after I found out was hard. The fitness guy at Villa even told me I looked a bit demotivated.

"It was hard to take initially but now it's about bouncing back and moving on."

PA