DAVID
BENTLEY freely admits leaving his "comfortable" life at Arsenal was
a gamble.
But Blackburn striker Bentley now believes it was the best career
decision he has ever made and he says more young English players
should follow his brave example. Bentley, 22, is now a candidate
for Steve McClaren's England squad for next month's friendly with
Spain after fulfilling his huge early potential with a rich vein of
form at Blackburn.
"It became very comfortable for me at Arsenal and that's the case
for a few young English players at some of the big clubs," said
Bentley. "You get brought up with a silver spoon but if you don't
push yourself then you can end up rotting badly rather than
progressing. I could have hung around at Arsenal until I was 23 or
24 or gone on and played regular games for another club.
"I had a great education at Arsenal and got to play and train
day-in and day-out with the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry
and Patrick Vieira. "But I felt I was becoming a bit stifled at
Arsenal and even though it was a risk I decided to go to Blackburn.
I've really felt myself progressing, getting better and improving
through playing games."
McClaren has been to see him on several occasions and there is
growing pressure on the England coach to give some new faces like
Bentley a try, "I look at the England squad and I think I'm more
than capable of stepping up to that level," said Bentley. "When I
left Arsenal my aim was to establish myself as a Premiership player
and my next goal is to become an England player.
"I've played left, right, central in midfield and up front this
year so maybe that versatility will help me. But the biggest single
thing for me this season has been playing games and if I keep
improving then hopefully I will get in. If you're happy to just sit
there at a big club, pick up the odd trophy and be at the back of a
few team pictures then you are never going to get into the England
team."
