Joe Hart
Joe Hart says there was never a falling out between him and Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. The former England goalkeeper was City’s number one when Guardiola arrived at the club but the manager soon jettisoned him in favour of Claudio Bravo and Willy Caballero before eventually bringing in current first-choice keeper Ederson. Hart was sent out on loan to Torino and West Ham before eventually departing City in 2018 to move to Burnley. Yet his time at Turf Moor proved hit and miss as he managed just 19 league appearances, with Nick Pope’s impressive form keeping Hart on the bench. He has now been released by the Clarets and is on the lookout for a new club.
Joe Hart said “He’s one of the most powerful influencers in the game, if not the most powerful. He didn’t have a problem with me as a goalkeeper – there was never a cross word between us. Ability-wise, he saw what he needed to do for the future and that wasn’t me. It is what it is. I think it’s been kind of dragged on, it was a long time ago. “It’s a very small snippet of my career. If I’m honest, I only care about my next manager and what his opinion is of me, and that’s how I’ve always worked. It’s definitely not been perfect,” he admitted. “I had a rise from maybe 2009-onwards. It was such a steady progression. Reaching heights: winning the league, playing for my country, Champions League semi-final. I’m playing a really important role in those. But football has got this way of levelling things out. I appreciate that. You control the controllable. The manager came in at Man City where I was doing the majority of my winning and he didn’t want me at the club anymore. I’ve turned my sights to try and get the best out of myself in slightly difficult situations, having to go on loan as an older player isn’t perfect. It’s hard for the club to embrace you and it’s hard for you to embrace the club, but I tried my best to do that. I’ve always consistently loved the game of football and that’s still not changed. I’m still in that moment, I’m still ready to go. I still feel like I’m ready to achieve those things and add to the already many great things I’ve achieved in football.”
