Paul Lambert: 'Darren Bent's Aston Villa captaincy axe will help him score'

Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has revealed that stripping striker Darren Bent of the club's captaincy will help him find the back of the net.

The 28-year-old took on the skipper's role for a stint due to regular captain Stiliyan Petrov's ongoing battle against acute leukaemia.

"I just wanted to give Darren a break, I just wanted him to concentrate on scoring goals," said Lambert. "I think Darren at Newcastle the other week and against Swansea was excellent.

"He is playing well, but I thought I would change it and let him just concentrate on scoring goals."

Bent moved to Villa Park from Sunderland for £24m last year.