Out-of-work Hart says he still has a future in football
JOE Hart says there was never a falling out between him and Pep Guardiola at City.
The former England goalkeeper was No.1 when the Catalan arrived at the club but the manager soon jettisoned him and brought in Claudio Bravo.
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 for the first time since starting his career is without a club.
The 33-year-old could be forgiven for looking back on Guardiola’s decision as the moment his career started to go awry but Hart says too much has been made of the pair’s relationship.
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.”
Reflecting on his career, Hart knows he has not lived up to the potential he showed in his early days at City, when he was heralded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Former City keeper Joe Hart is without a club after being released
“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 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.”