Noble shows he has a Hart as Joe’s headed to West Ham
LONDON: England and Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart has been “hard done by” and deserves more respect, West Ham captain Mark Noble said amid media reports linking the shot-stopper with a loan move to the London club.
In a career spanning more than a decade, Hart has made 348 appearances for the English Premier League club and has 71 caps for England but is not City manager Pep Guardiola’s first-choice keeper and spent last season on loan at Italy’s Torino.
Noble says the competition for a starting spot among the keepers at West Ham will increase if Hart arrives as he contends with Adrian and Darren Randolph, and called for the 30-yearold to be given more respect.
“I’ve known Joe for a long time, we played for England Under-21s together years ago,” Noble told Sky Sports. “He is obviously a fantastic goalie but at the minute he is not our player. We have got two really good goalies here so it would be more competition for them.
“In my opinion, he (Hart) has been a little bit hard done by in recent years. He has been fantastic for England and for his club for the last 10 years, and he probably deserves a little bit more respect.”
Meanwhile, Hart underwent a medical with West Ham yesterday as he looks to finalise a loan move from City, according to media reports.
The 30-year-old had been told by City boss Guardiola that he could find another club, and he appears set for a season-long loan with the East Londoners after spending last season with Italian side Torino.
Hart, who has 71 England caps, is expected to have the option of making the move permanent, while City will pay some of his wages as part of the deal, according to the reports.
Hart is keen on regular first-team football, which would have been unlikely at City after the Eastlands outfit splashed £34.7mil (RM194mil) on Brazilian keeper Ederson Moraes, who arrived from Benfica.
Hart has played over 300 games in all competitions for City since signing from Shrewsbury Town in 2006. — Agencies