Liverpool target Bent: I only want Villa stay

Aston Villa striker Darren Bent insists talk of a move to Liverpool didn't unsettle him last month.

Five goals in eight games have seen the Villa striker settle down after a Christmas time full of false rumours that he was off to Liverpool, following his infamous shopping trip when he missed the match against the Reds because of injury.

He told the Sunday Mirror: “I’ve said for a while that I want to stay at Villa for a long time and that I am settled.

“I hope that now I can do it.

“To be fair, the rumours didn’t upset me because, for me, it was easy. I was the only person who knew for sure that I wasn’t going anywhere.

“While it was flattering to be linked with other clubs, like I was, at the same time I knew what was ­happening in my head and that I wanted to stay.

“I didn’t have to come out and say anything because I knew the ­situation, and the people around me did too.

“I hope it will show on the pitch with my commitment to the cause now – and long may that continue.”