Turning out for England was no fun, says Bentley

Touted as David Beckham's long-term replacement for England, Bentley admitted to being a frustrated spectator in Paris. Ater replacing Beckham on his 100th appearance for England, he struggled to make an impact on a game in which he said players were playing at only '50 per cent'.

Echoing the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, he questioned the wisdom of playing an international friendly at such a crucial stage of the season.

He said: 'It was a strange game. It wasn't very enjoyable. It wasn't the best of games watching from the bench. It's the stage of the season we're at. I don't think there should be a game like that anyway. I think it was a difficult situation.

'A lot of the lads are preparing themselves for the Premier League and the Champions League so it can be difficult to play a game like that for both sides. It was a half hearted, 50 per cent effort. Everyone wants to play well for England but sometimes it just happens like that.

'It wasn't enjoyable for me but you try to have an effect on the game, but it is difficult to get into a game like that.'

It remains to be seen how England manager Fabio Capello responds to Bentley's remarks, but the Blackburn midfielder is no stranger to controversy when it comes to the international stage.

Last summer he pulled out of Stuart Pearce's squad for the European Under 21 Championships in Holland, blaming fatigue.

His decision led to Pearce raising questions about Bentley's commitment for his country and saw him excluded from Steve McClaren's senior squad for the friendly against Germany last August.

Having earned subsequent call-ups by McClaren and his replacement Capello, Bentley is adamant he is committed to England and focused on taking over from Beckham.

But, with many suggesting Beckham's return to the international fold had more to do with sentiment, Bentley called on Capello to make form the only criteria in decision making by the time England's World Cup qualifying campaign begins against Andorra in September.

He said: 'There are a lot of good players in this country. If you don't perform, you don't play. When the important games come, hopefully the player who is performing best will play.

'I'm in the early stages of my England career. I'm going to have to work hard and it's up to me to take the position. If I perform then I believe I can take it, so we'll have to see.'

Wait and see would seem to be Bentley's policy when it comes to signing a new deal with Blackburn. Heavily linked with a move away from Ewood Park in the summer — Liverpool are understood to be leading the chase for his signature — Blackburn manager Mark Hughes is desperate to hang on to his star attraction.

Hughes said: 'We're just trying to give him more money. He's got three years on his contract and we're trying to acknowledge that he's had an exceptional season and reward him for that. There is no timescale on it, we're open to negotiation but there is no issue with it.'

But, with Blackburn's only route to Europe next season seemingly via the InterToto Cup, Bentley looks set to disappoint Hughes after admitting he has set his sights somewhat higher.

Discussing his contract talks, Bentley said: 'It's a big decision in my life at the minute. I want to play European football; I want to play at the top of my game.

'I want to go to the World Cup in two years and I want to be starting, so sometimes you have to make strong decisions. I'm speaking to Blackburn, but you never know in football what's going to happen.'