David Bentley could yet complete the greatest right wing comeback since John Major in 1992

By Martin Lipton in Laptop with Martin Lipton

Published 11:41 04/02/10

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Jermain Defoe took all the plaudits at Elland Road as Spurs held firm against the fervour of West Yorkshire to claim their place in the last 16 of the FA Cup.

But while the England striker was claiming his third hat-trick of the season, the really interesting story was taking place wide on the Tottenham right.

David Bentley's career at White Hart Lane has resembled a car crash - and not just when the winger was behind the wheel after a pop concert.

Signed as the man who would make the difference for Juande Ramos, Bentley first fell out with the Spaniard and then, pretty swiftly, with Harry Redknapp too.

For a player who believed he could supplant the other DB - David Beckham - as England's right-side option of choice, the decline and fall was precipitous.

It was, after all, Bentley who started on the right against Switzerland in Fabio Capello's first game - while he was still at Blackburn - but since then his international career had unsurprisingly descended into free-fall.

Like it or not, Bentley has been his own worst enemy.

As a bloke, he is bright and engaging, the sort of lad you'd be keen to spend a bit of time with down the boozer.

But the ego-centricity that was always part of his make up seemed to have gone into overdrive, especially on the back of Spurs laying out £17million to land him from Ewood Park.

The bragging didn't help. Remember his first press conference as a Spurs player, when he talked about his excitement at the prospect of going back to Arsenal and sticking it up the Emirates fans?

As it happens, out of nowhere, in Redknapp's second game, that is exactly what he did, scoring arguably the goal of the season last term from fully 40 yards.

A sensational volley, leaving Manuel Almunia clutching at thin air, began a frenzied night which ended in a dramatic 4-4 draw, and having fallen out with Ramos, Bentkey seemed keen to take a second chance.

Redknapp hoped so too. At that stage, it is easy to forget now, the Spurs boss really rated Bentley, but had massive doubts over Aaron Lennon's ability to press on, concerned at the Yorkshire-born player's mentality and commitment.

But while both featured together - Bentley mainly on the right - for the first four months of Redknapp's reign, their stars were heading into very different orbits.

Where Lennon rediscovered his form and motivation, developing the ability to ally his natural sprinter's speed with decent delivery, Bentley lost his way horribly.

By the end of last February, by which stage Capello had probably forgotten Bentley's name, Redknapp had had enough.

While Lennon went from strength to strength, leapfrogging both Beckham and Theo Walcott in Capello's mind, Bentley appeared to be on the fast train to oblivion.

Redknapp was looking to offload in the summer but Spurs chairman Daniel Levy's understandable price demands meant there were no takers at the sort of money the White Hart Lane power brokers wanted.

And it left Bentley in the worst sort of footballing limbo - not able to get a game where he was, not able to find anybody else prepared to take him.

Banished to the hinterlands of the Carling Cup squad - his only league start came back at the Emirates, as Spurs were hammered - Redknapp challenged Bentley to prove him wrong.

His response was not what was required and in December Redknapp finally lost it after deeming Bentley had been taking the mickey during a behind closed doors friendly with Grays.

There seemed no chance of repairing the relationship, with Bentley desperate for a move in January, only for chance - in the shape of Lennon's groin injury which closed the door to a move and a sickness bug which struck Niko Krancjar - to offer him a final shot at redemption.

Nobody, surely not even Bentley himself, could have envisaged what would follow.

A deflected free-kick against Fulham which brought him his first home league goal for Spurs and rare public praise from Redknapp.

He was impressive again at Birmingham, giving Liam Ridgewell an absolute chasing in a match Tottenham threw away at the death. And then last night he seemed back to the player who had looked an England certainty in his Blackburn days.

This Bentley wanted the ball no matter how closely he was marked, found space with subtle tricks and movement and delivered telling crosses, none more impressive than the one Defoe converted to put Spurs in front for the fourth - and final - time in the tie.

More importantly, perhaps, was the clear reaction of his colleagues, who wanted to give him responsibility, trusted him to do the right thing, backed him up when he was wronged by opponents and the officials.

Capello, preparing to fly back from Switzerland to deal with the John Terry affair, may not have been watching but he will have to look at Bentley soon if this form continues.

With injury clouds over Lennon and Walcott, and Beckham pencilled in as the last 20 minute "closer", there is a potential vacancy in the England squad for South Africa.

Bentley would have been a big money outsider to gate-crash the party on New Year's Eve. Now, out of nowhere, he could turn himself back into a contender, or even more. And that would be a truly great comeback story.

David Bentley, like Leeds, is on his way back