Heaton puts move on the back burner

TOM HEATON is set to stay put at Burnley after his surprise recall caused him to rethink a January move away.

The goalkeeper, 32, was all set to quit Turf Moor after finding his path to the first team blocked first by Nick Pope and then Joe Hart.

But Heaton, above, made his first Premier League appearance in 15 months on Sunday as Hart was dropped and kept a clean sheet in a 2-0 win over West Ham.

The club captain insisted he never wanted to leave but had become frustrated as he failed to regain his place after dislocating his shoulder against Crystal Palace in September 2017.

Championship clubs Aston Villa and Leeds had both been linked with Heaton, who now wants to stay and fight it out with Hart and Pope for the No1 spot.

“With January coming and me not playing, it was uncertain. Does that change now? I would imagine so,” he said. “At 32, I don’t really have much time to waste.

“Not for one minute did I want to go anywhere but sometimes it has got to be looked at. That probably changes now. It’s great to be back out there and I can’t tell you how pleased I am to be back out on the pitch and pulling on that shirt again.”

Heaton was on course to go to the World Cup with England when he picked up his injury and may even have gone as Gareth Southgate’s first choice, as Hart was on the verge of losing his international place.

Instead, Everton’s Jordan Pickford got the nod and Pope, who proved an inspired stand-in at Burnley last term, ended up going to Russia as third-choice.

Hart’s move to Burnley from Manchester City for £3.5million in August made Heaton’s life at club level even tougher – and that battle is set to heat up, with Pope nearing full fitness after he too suffered a dislocated shoulder in July.

Heaton said: “I never wanted to leave the football club, it’s just the fact that I wasn’t playing that I would have had to.

“But after being back playing it’s the last thing on my mind to be honest. That’s where I’m at.”