Bent Out For Up To 3 Months Due To Ankle Injury

London, Feb 28: Aston Villa striker Darren Bent's hopes of playing for England at the European Championship are over after he was ruled out for up to three months because of ruptured ankle ligaments.

Bent underwent a scan on Monday after hurting his left ankle in Villa's 0-0 draw at Wigan in the Premier League on Saturday.

Villa says in a statement that Bent "is unlikely to play again this season" and "will undergo a further examination in seven days to determine the need for an operation."

Bent, who withdrew from England's squad for the friendly against the Netherlands on Wednesday, was overlooked for the 2006 and 2010 World Cups.

But he was in line for selection for Euro 2012 with Wayne Rooney banned for the first two games of the June 8-July event.