Tottenham striker Darren Bent admits he's haunted by his England miss against Croatia in the final Euro2008 qualifier last season.

He admitted: "I had a chance against Croatia but I put it over the bar. I knew that if I'd scored we'd probably have gone to the European Championships.

"Of course it played on my mind. As a striker you always wonder what you could have done differently in those circumstances and I thought about it for long periods after the game.

"I couldn't say it affected my club form because I wasn't playing any games anyway.

"But, hopefully, if I get another chance I will take it."

Despite Bent apparently returning from the wilderness, he is actually the joint third highest Premier League scorer since the start of the 2005-06 season - behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.

England boss Fabio Capello has recognised that statistics like that make Bent worth a punt.

The £16.5million former Charlton man added: "I have spoken to Fabio quite a lot since we joined up and he has told me what he thinks about me and what he wants from me. I have responded to that.

"He told me to play my own game and try not to over-complicate things.

"As a player that is what you want rather than there being no communication whatsoever.

"I am a firm believer that if you can score a lot of goals for your club, then you can do it for your country, especially with the calibre of players that are in the England squad. They can create chances from anywhere."