Bentley shrugs off boos

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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.

But Bentley, whose introduction on Saturday was met with a chorus of boos insists he has no regrets and told the Sun: "I thought it was coming. To be honest, it was probably good entertainment if you're not on the receiving end."

The midfielder's summer decision 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.

Despite the jeers during England's 3-0 win over Israel, Bentley remained focused on his task and said: "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."