Stoke City boss Mark Hughes tried to sign Darren Bent

Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has revealed that he tried to sign Darren Bent during the summer transfer window.

The 29-year-old opted for a loan switch to Fulham from Aston Villa after falling down the pecking order under manager Paul Lambert.

"We looked at Darren but we were told he wouldn't come to Stoke, or his agent wouldn't, so that was that," Sky Sports News quotes Hughes as saying. "We don't know why, but we didn't get a chance."

Bent scored the winner against the Potters at Craven Cottage on Saturday.