Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish is confident Darren Bent can handle a hostile return to Sunderland.

Bent has already said he will not celebrate if he scores.

And McLeish quipped: "I hope he doesn't celebrate three times!

"I'm sure he's mature enough to go and handle it. He'll probably get a little bit of friendly booing! But he's got a tough mentality. Boo, hiss! It's pantomime season isn't it!

"But if he doesn't fancy it, then he's got to tell me and I'll wrap him in cotton wool. I'll not play him and put him on the sidelines.

"The wool would protect him from all the noise - I'll put some in his ears! Is there a danger of that from Darren? Not a bit of it!

"You take it on the chin, it's part of your education.

"If you don't want to have that kind of verbal criticism, then you just can't be in this game."