Darren Bent insists he never considered leaving Aston Villa during the January transfer window.
Striker remains committed to Villa
Darren Bent insists he never considered leaving Aston Villa during the January transfer window.
Bent, who netted his 100th goal in the Premier League with a strike in the 2-2 draw with Queens Park Rangers in midweek, was rumoured to be a target for Liverpool last month.
The 27-year-old admits he was flattered to be linked with Liverpool, but concedes the speculation was should not have been taken seriously.
"It was laughable. I always knew I was going to be at Villa," admitted Bent.
"I have said before, I would like to stay at Villa for years and really kick on in my career while playing for Aston Villa.
Flattering
"It is flattering to be linked with clubs like Liverpool but, at the same time, I always knew I was going to be here come February 1st and I am delighted to be here.
"You just laugh it off and get on with it. Liverpool are one of the biggest clubs in the world but at the same time it never crossed my mind once to leave."
Bent became the 21st player to reach 100 goals in the Premier League and now wants to take his scoring form into Euro 2012.
The Villa hit-man is desperate to be part of England manager Fabio Capello's squad for the summer finals after missing out on the 2006 and 2010 World Cup squads.
Euro 2012
When asked if reaching a century of goals would help his England chances, Bent said: "So much has gone on before. I have had times in my career when I have been scoring loads of goals and not been picked before.
"Anything is possible when it comes to that. All I can do is keep reminding people of what I can do and keep trying to put the ball in the back of the net.
"Hopefully a big stat like me getting into the 100 club will help my cause.
"I've said many times how much I want to play in a major tournament for England especially after missing out before."
