Darren Bent has suggested that the time may be right for him to leave Aston Villa.

The England international has been out of favour this season with manager Paul Lambert, who has preferred to start with young Belgian striker Christian Benteke instead of Bent.

With his starting opportunities seemingly limited, 29-year-old Bent has insisted that he is not the sort of player to accept sitting on the bench.

"It is about playing and, at my age, I can't have another season like this one," he told the Daily Star. "Time is running out. I'm not really one of these guys who wants to sit there, not do anything and get paid."

Bent joined Villa in January 2011 from Sunderland for a reported £24m.