Darren Bent has revealed that Celtic legend Neil Lennon once rang him up personally after stating live on air that he would have preferred to play under ex-Rangers boss Steven Gerrard.
Lennon and Gerrard went head-to-head nine times throughout their careers, with the Northern Irishman mustering two draws against the Liverpool icon in his time at Hibs - before losing out ever so slightly in their seven Glasgow derby outings with three victories to Gerrard's four prior to his departure in February 2021.
With Gerrard having departed for Aston Villa just under a year ago, it appears unlikely that the pair will ever face off again in their careers, although you can never say never in football; and it didn't stop former England striker and current talkSPORT pundit Darren Bent from selecting his former Three Lions teammate as his preferred choice after being asked who he would rather play for. But shortly after his decision to choose Gerrard, the ex-Sunderland hero claims he received a call from Lennon asking him to explain his choice despite never speaking to him at all until his grilling.
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"I used to do a football column called the 'Football Insider' and I spoke about Neil Lennon," Bent told talkSPORT.
"They asked me a question, who would I rather play under: Steven Gerrard when he was at Rangers, or Neil Lennon when he was at Celtic. I basically said when Steven Gerrard because he's a fresh, young manager, and I've played Steven Gerrard and know him. There was a bit of commotion at the time.
"Next thing you know, a friend texted me saying 'Neil Lennon said can he have your number?', to which I said it wasn't a problem at all.
"He called me up! He didn't text me, he called me, and said: 'I just want to clarify some of the things that you said.'
"So I just said exactly what I thought. But after that, I've had to work with him on Soccer Saturday - the nicest guy! To the point where I wish I hadn't said that. He just phoned me up out of the blue."
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