England attacker has barely been used at all this campaign.
Unsettled Aston Villa front man Darren Bent says that he will sit down with head coach Paul Lambert at the end of the season to discuss his future at Villa Park, reports the Daily Express.
The experienced England international, 29, has been used as just a bit-part player under the new manager in the Midlands so far in this campaign, and this despite starting the season as the club captain.
However, due to a combination of a loss of form and injury on Bent’s part, combined with the immediate impact that new attacker Christian Benteke has made at Villa in his debut campaign, the player has not been in the starting XI under Lambert this year.
“I thought I would have come on when Benteke was sent off against Chelsea, but it wasn’t meant to be,” said Bent.
“If I can get the nod then it would be nice to play a part again.
“It is frustrating. The season started off so differently to what it is now. I do get angry at times.
“As much as I’ve enjoyed my time at Aston Villa, it is about playing games. At my age I can’t have another season like this one because time is running out.
“I’m not one of these guys who wants to sit there, not do anything and then get paid.
“I want to contribute and enjoy playing. I won’t ask to go but at the same time I have to sit down with the manager, the chairman and my agent and just go from there.
“It hurts when I think I could have come on and made a difference. Every game you don’t play in hurts that bit more. I’m going to have to take a long, hard look at my situation. I don’t know if I will still be at Villa next season.
“All I can say is if it’s going to be another season like this and it looks like I’m not going to play, then I have to play football. It’s as simple as that. I would prefer it to be here but at the same time it’s about playing. I know I’ve had a few injuries but I can’t pinpoint where it all started to deteriorate.”
Bent was brought to Villa by one-time manager Gerard Houllier from Sunderland in January 2011 for a club-record fee of an initial £18 million, potentially rising to as much as £24m, and has since netted just 24 goals in 63 matches in all competitions for the club.
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