Last Updated: Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:13
Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has dismissed speculation that Darren Bent will miss the start of the season through injury.
The England international striker sat out the Black Cats' 2-0 defeat to Benfica as they ended their pre-season tour of Portugal, prompting rumours the 26-year-old could be out for the opening game against Birmingham.
Having scored 25 goals last season for Sunderland the last thing Bruce will want is to see his star striker sidelined for the first match.
However, the Black Cats boss has played down talk of Bent missing the game against the Blues, claiming they decided to rest him because of a few minor problems.
"Darren's fine, but he's got a couple of minor niggles and it wasn't worth risking him," he said in the Sunderland Echo.
"The situation did at least allow us to experiment with a 4-5-1 formation and explore that.
"It was a good game and it has been a good trip."
Bruce has also dismissed speculation that Kenwyne Jones picked up an injury in the 2-0 defeat, claiming it was just a knock.
He added: "He's twisted his knee a little, but he'll be fine."