Darren Bent will get one last ditch chance to impress England and win a World Cup berth on Sunday.

The 24 goal hit-man will be watched by Fabio Capello's No2 Franco Baldini against Manchester United, in a final audition for South Africa.

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce said Bent should go - because if Wayne Rooney gets injured Engalnd will struggle for goals and fire-power up front.

Bent has outscored his rivals this season bar Rooney, and Bruce said: "Darren has scored something like 9 in 9 games since Christmas, he's got more goals since then than Defoe, Heskey, Crouch, all of them, put together.

"So surely, surely, he must be in with an outstanding chance. Whatever team you play for, international or domestic, you need somebody to score you a goal and, God forbid, should something happen to Rooney, you've got to ask whether England have got enough firepower to score those goals.

"Darren hasn't just done it this year, he's done it repeatedly for Charlton and Spurs. We know he's capable of doing it in a big league in big games."

Bruce says if it is a choice between Bent and Bobby Zamora there is only one winner. He added: "No disrespect to Bobby Zamora, because he's had a wonderful season, but for me he's nowhere near Bent. Nowhere near.

"Even last year I think he got 18 in the Premier League for Spurs and half of them were as a sub. Zamora has had a one-off, he used to get five or six a year. Benty got 22 for Charlton, a team that got relegated, a few years ago."