Best is yet to come

But the 24-year-old centre also warned both will have to hit peak condition soon if they are to realise their goals.

Bell overcame a series of early season injuries to grab three tries on his comeback in the 45-6 win over Petrarca last Friday night.

The victory was far from comfortable for Sharks though, with the Italian minnows matching them every step of the way for almost an hour, and Bell said that, coupled with the previous week's defeat at London Irish, has taught Sale some harsh lessons.

He told SAM Sport: "It was good win (against Petrarca).

"We did make hard work of it during the first 60 minutes but we showed in the end what a good side we can be and when we did attack the ball from depth and used pace and width it was an enjoyable game to play.

"Personally, I was just glad to get through the game. It was really good to score three tries because I'm still nowhere near top condition.

"Games like that are difficult because we are expected to win them but the Italian teams are a lot more competitive than they were five years ago and a lot of people underestimate them.

"This season you can see throughout the Premiership and European competition, you have to be on your best and if you're not you won't win games.

"Leicester are a good example. They've been knocked out of the Heineken Cup because they've had one or two games when they've not been at their best.

"That's one of the good things about the game now, it's so competitive so you know every week no matter which team you're playing you have to be 100 per cent focussed."

Prior to joining Sale in the summer of 2006, Bell was touted as one of English rugby's rising stars until a combination of injuries and Sale's poor form last season saw him drop out of national team contention.

After watching teammate Richard Wigglesworth earn his first England call-up last week, Bell admitted he still has a burning desire to wear the red rose, although he is just taking things one step at a time.

"It's been quite difficult recently. I tweaked my knee in the summer, I had a hamstring tweak and then I hurt my ankle playing for the second team against Leicester.

"So it's been quite a frustrating year for me because every time I've got towards a bit of form and fitness I've had another setback.

"Obviously playing for England is a background goal of mine but at the moment I still need to get fully fit because I'm not quite there yet.

"I need to try and play as many games as I can for Sale because you have to be on good form for your club team to even think about an international call-up.

"I've had a difficult couple of years, it's been a bit frustrating, but you can't focus on that goal before you get the stuff at home right.

"So my biggest aim now is to get myself in the best condition I can and to get playing and do the best I can for Sale."