It is supposed to take the mind off things, lying back and thinking of England, but for Darius Vassell that is unlikely to be a good way to relax. Vassell says he has moved on since a sticky night in Lisbon 14 months ago, but it would only be natural if, when he pictures playing for his country, those images come accompanied by pangs. The last time he kicked a football with three lions on his chest, football kicked him in the groin.

The European championships, June 24, 2004, and England and Portugal are inseparable after 2¼ hours of a gut- knotting quarter-final. They are locked at 2-2 after extra time, 5-5 on penalties, and Vassell walks the plank, making that solitary trudge from the centre circle of the Estadio da Luz to place the ball on the spot in front of the goal. He shoots, the ball goes low to the left of Ricardo, the Portugal goalkeeper saves. Ricardo himself converts the next spot kick. Nobody blames Vassell. Fellow players admire his courage for stepping up in the first place; England fans have seen too many tournament exits on penalties to curse any individual.

But still he has a burden to bear and has not played for England since. A broken ankle kept him out for most of the winter but he was available — and overlooked — for six international fixtures last season. Stuart Pearce had to wait six years for his England redemption, the time that elapsed between his miss in the shoot-out in the 1990 World Cup semi-final and the penalty he converted so stirringly against Spain in the quarter-finals of Euro 96. He is one of the few who might understand Vassell’s pain.

Now Pearce is Vassell’s club manager at Manchester City. “I haven’t spoken to him about it,” says the latter. “Everything we’ve spoken about has been positive.” A quiet sort, Vassell prefers to deal with issues internally. He is determined to put Portugal behind him — through actions, not words.

Seeking to rebuild a career that fell into disrepair following Euro 2004 — he scored just three times for Aston Villa last season in a campaign interrupted by a broken ankle — Vassell is going back to the foundations. England can come later. What he wants now is to reassert himself as a striker at club level. “My main priority is here,” he said. “I know the England thing is great and everyone likes to talk about it, but my main priority is establishing myself at this club.”

Pearce called Vassell’s capture the bargain of the close season. Certainly City seemed to get the better of a deal that saw Villa receive just £2m for a strong, skilled and fast international goalscorer whom they had groomed from early adolescence and who was about to turn 25. Especially when, on closer inspection, City’s actual outlay was only £1.5m — with a further £500,000 based on appearances and Vassell regaining his England place.

Villa’s thinking can only be partly explained by the fact that Vassell’s contract was running down. David O’Leary, their manager, never established a close relationship with the striker and Vassell, for all his abilities, was felt to be lacking a certain vital commodity.

He scored some great goals for Villa, but a great goalscorer? His record was 44 goals from 201 appearances in eight seasons with the club. “A lot of people have questioned my consistency and that’s something I want to address,” he says. “But this is a fresh start for me. Being around fresh players and enjoying my football again will hopefully be a big thing.”

Pearce has energised City since succeeding Kevin Keegan in March, transmitting to their squad some of the drive that distinguished him as a player. “I watched him through most of his career and was lucky enough to play against him,” says Vassell. How did that go? “I tried to keep away from him, to be honest. I went to the other wing. He’s passed some of that (Pearce’s fierceness as a full-back) on to our team. With managers I like to do what I’m told.

“But in the short time I’ve been here I’ve noticed how good he is at getting on with different types of players and handling different personalities. People remember how he was as a footballer but he’s not all aggression and shouting. I think he takes a step back and thinks about what he has to say, and that works best for players.”

When City went top of the Premiership for 24 hours last weekend, after beating Sunderland in a game Vassell graced with a fine goal, Pearce ticked his players off for what he saw as a substandard all-round performance. Having left behind Villa’s sleeping confines, such ambition should inspire: Vassell’s goal ratio for England (six in 22) suggests a player who thrives on challenges.

Staying injury-free is essential to his progress but he also believes he is improving through noting the example of his new strike partner. “I’ve looked up to Coley (Andy Cole),” he says. “Growing up, he was one of my favourite players. He’s single-minded, focused, and when he’s got an opportunity to take a shot and score he always goes for it and gets the ball on target. Maybe one of my problems has been not being selfish enough.”

Despite his reticent nature, Vassell is forthright about his abilities. Returning to the subject of England, he says: “I feel the manager (Sven-Göran Eriksson) knows what I’m capable of. I don’t think I need to prove anything. He knows that if he needs me, I’m there and I’ll come in and do a good job.”

Vassell’s international strike rate is, indeed, superior to Jermain Defoe’s and not so inferior to that of Wayne Rooney, who had scored nine times in 23 games before yesterday’s match in Cardiff. Far from being forgotten by Eriksson, Vassell says the coach and his backroom staff have kept in regular contact since he was last selected for an England squad. City face their biggest challenge of the season on Saturday, in the Manchester derby, and performances in that sort of game are what will catch Eriksson’s eye.

So what does Vassell do away from the workplace? “Just sleep and rest and spend time with my family,” he says. “I’ve started playing golf — I’m not the best but I’m trying. I go out when it’s the right time to do so but mostly keep my head down.”

Vassell’s head seemed to go down for a long time following his Euro 2004 travails. At last, though, things are looking up.

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