Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has no doubts Darren Bent will get over his World Cup axing.

Bruce paid tribute to his number one striker, who scored 25 goals in all competitions during a memorable first campaign on Wearside.

He told SAFC-TV: "Darren's been the jewel in the crown for me.

"I wanted the transfer to be done earlier. In my experience of the Premier League, the hardest thing is to score a goal.

"Whenever I've seen Benty, he's shown he is capable of doing that. It's not just that, though - he wanted to come here and be Sunderland's centre-forward."