England debutant Bentley shrugs off boos

David Bentley has defended the decision which ensured he got a cool welcome from Wembley on his England debut, insisting: 'I was doing the right thing for my career.'

Bentley pulled out of Stuart Pearce's England Under-21 squad for the European Championships in the summer citing fatigue after a long season with Blackburn.

It was a decision that did not go down well with Pearce, or senior boss Steve McClaren who refused to consider the midfielder for the friendly defeat to Germany as a one-off punishment.

And when he finally did earn his England debut in the 3-0 qualifying win over Israel, the fans made their feelings known with a chorus of boos.

But Bentley, 23, insists he has no regrets.

He said: 'I thought it was coming. To be honest, it was probably good entertainment if you're not on the receiving end.

'But I was there making my England debut so I'm not worried about anyone else.

'I've made a lot of strong decisions in my career, like whether to leave Arsenal and also with the decision not to go to the Under-21s.

'I've never, ever regretted it.

'A lot of people had a go at me but I knew I was doing the right thing for my career, for Blackburn and for my England career. I think Saturday proved that.'

Bentley also believes his willingness to make unpopular decisions will stand him in good stead throughout his England career.

'I reckon you have to be a strong person, a strong character to make it as an international. We need strong characters in the England team,' he added.

'Those decisions make you stronger as a person and as a player and what happened at Wembley will only make me stronger. But I loved it. It was brilliant and I'm still buzzing.'

Bentley went on to explain that his decision to drop out of the Under-21s in the summer was made because he had his eyes on a bigger prize next year.

'I was worried about fatigue come November or December this year.

'If I'm fatigued in a couple of months' time then I won't be going to the Euros. That is my goal and my dream and I really think I can push on from here.'

Source: Soccernet.com