Aston Villa winger Charles N'Zogbia is backing Darren Bent to force his way back into manager Paul Lambert's first team plans.

N'Zogbia, 26, has backed England international Bent to prove his boss wrong.

"The manager will decide," he said.

"What Darren has to do when he plays is to show a reaction," he added at the launch of 'Villa Vitality', a Premier League-funded children's obesity prevention programme which was launched in association with NHS Birmingham.

"Darren Bent is a fighter, so this will not be a problem for him."

And N'Zogbia added: "Maybe he'll miss the odd game and be on the bench but when he starts playing, he's going to score."