3/1 To Win
Darren Bent has revealed his frustration about facing the prospect of a lengthy spell out of action.
The experienced frontman has been ruled out injured until the end of the calendar year after suffering a hamstring injury in Derby’s pre-season friendly win at Port Vale earlier this month.
Bent sustained the injury whilst scoring from the penalty spot in the Rams’ 1-0 victory at Vale Park.
Although the forward has already undergone surgery, Gary Rowett, the Derby manager, has confirmed that the 33-year-old is likely to be out of action under Christmas time.
The lengthy lay-off is a bitter pill to swallow for the former England international, who had netted two goals in three pre-season games before being sidelined.
He told RamsTV’s Matchday Live show on Saturday: “I knew straight away that I had damaged something.
“I wasn’t aware of the extent of the injury until I had the scans.
“When I ran back to the halfway line and tried to carry on and I just had to get myself off; it was really sore.
“I have taken numerous penalties in my career so it is a bit surprising that taking one has ruled me out for a while.
“I didn’t do anything differently, I go the same way quite a lot, but on this occasion it did something.
“I am out for four to five months and it’s disappointing.”
Bent is in the early stages of his rehabilitation programme after going under the knife.
He is expected to be on crutches for around six weeks but, at this stage, there is little he can do other than rest.
However, he will soon be upping his workload and beginning the road to recovery.
He said: “I can’t really do too much right now and it’s a case of resting up and recovering.
“I had surgery to repair my tendon. I have to keep the leg elevated and I will be on crutches for six weeks.
“The medical team are working hard to make sure I am comfortable and that the swelling is going down.”
