‘Bloody hell! Carragher wanted me at Liverpool...I stayed with Cats’

Darren Bent says he was told to join Liverpool by Jamie Carragher after the striker’s first season at Sunderland.

Bent netted 24 Premier League goals in his only full season with the Black Cats, before moving to Aston Villa in January 2011.

Yet the striker’s perform a n c e s a l s o attrac te d i nterest from elsewhere and prompted Carragher to get in touch.

B e n t t o l d Ta l k S p o r t : “There was one particular time; I’d just finished my first season for Sunderland and it had gone really well.

“Jamie Carragher had a conversation about coming to Liverpool.

“It wasn’t a conversation like, ‘we need to get you there’, it was kind of like, ‘it would be good if you came, you did really well in your first season, you’re probably a little bit too expensive for us’.

“I was like, ‘bloody hell!’. It’s Liverpool Football Club, you’ve go t to j u m p at t h e chance.

“I ended up staying at Sunderland, I didn’t go anywhere. Maybe (Rafa) Benitez didn’t see eye-to-eye with Carragher in the signing!”

*Sunderland’s under-23 side have won three consecutive league games in Premier League 2 Division 2.

Following a heavy 6-0 defeat by Middlesbrough, the young Black Cats have beaten Fulham, Aston Villa and Wolves, scoring nine goals in the process.

“It’s been a good start to the season and some of our performances have been really pleasing,” manager Elliott Dickman told the club’s website.

“We’ve enjoyed the success that we’ve had so far. Especially when you look at last season compared to this one.

“The lads’ effort and commitment has been great and w e ’re a l l w o rk i n g a s o n e group. It’s been really positive, but we’ve got to keep it going now.

“The defeat to Middlesbrough was a bit of a blip, but to show the response they have by winning three games in a row shows great character.”

Former Sunderland midfielder Craig Gardner, meanwhile, has joined the coaching staff at Sheffield Wednesday.

The 33-year-old retired from playing at the end of last season after three years with Birmingham City.

Ex-England U21 star Gardner will now link up with his former West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Pulis, who was appointed at Hillsborough last week.