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Bent can't help Villa, but could be fit for Euros

Darren Bent is nearing a recovery from ankle surgery © PA Photos

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Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has revealed that Darren Bent should be fit in time for England's Euro 2012 campaign - but he will not be able to call on the striker for the final two games of the Premier League season.

Villa have increasingly found themselves drawn into a relegation dogfight in recent weeks, as the Midlands club have struggled for goals ever since Bent had ankle surgery on ruptured ligaments at the start of the March.

Having begun some light training in the last two weeks, Villa's medical team do not believe he will quite be fit in time to help preserve the club's top-flight status, but see no reason why he will not be available for selection in Roy Hodgson's 23-man squad for the summer tournament in Poland and Ukraine.

"I said, 'Are you ready to go on the bench at the weekend or something'," McLeish told the club's official website. "He said: 'No, not quite, but I'm making good progress, so boss it might be too soon'. I don't believe there is a chance of him playing again for Villa this season.

"The doc thinks he's got a chance for the Euros though; he's talking about four or five weeks [until he's back].

"He's running and he's working individually with the physios. I'm not sure if he's at the level of striking a ball yet, but he can't be far away from that now.

"The physios will still be working on him to get him back to his peak fitness again. We have to make sure he gets back good and proper."

The final squad selection date for the European Championship has been put back, in order to allow Hodgson - who was formally appointed as Three Lions boss on Tuesday - to better evaluate the options available to him.

England's first group game, against France, takes place on June 11.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.