Joe Hart has denied harbouring any ill-feeling towards Pep Guardiola after the Spaniard effectively ended the goalkeeper’s career at Manchester City as soon as he took over.
Hart had legendry status at the Etihad Stadium before Guardiola arrived, being part of two title-winning sides at the club under Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini.
He was also England’s number one at the time, having been capped 75 times for the Three Lions.
However, one of the first things Guardiola did when he arrived at Manchester was to loan Hart out to Tornio and sign Claudio Bravo.
This was essentially the start of Hart’s downward spiral as disappointing spells at West Ham and Burnley followed his unsuccessful time in Turin.
The goalkeeper, who is now Lloris’ main understudy at Tottenham, insisted that the way his time at Manchester City ended did not diminish his feelings for the club.
Speaking about Guardiola’s decision to get rid of him, he said on Brew’s City ‘The Social’, in partnership with SPORTSbible: “It just so happened that someone came to the club that I was playing well at and was well-established at and they had a different idea for the club that didn’t involve me.
MORE SPURS STORIES
“So, what?! Football’s a big game. There are lots of teams to go and play for. My love and passion for Manchester City will never change. The club and the people. My football had to go elsewhere. I had to dig in and start again. I’ve done that before and I’ll do it again.”
When asked whether he still had any beef with the City boss, Hart responded: “Come on. We are all grown-ups. He’s got a job to do. I have got a job to do. Football isn’t set-up to work for me. Just as it isn’t set-up to work for him.
“He wanted to do something. He was in charge. All the power was with him and it didn’t fit me in that plan, so what? I will go elsewhere.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Hart received quite a bit of flak on social media for his mistakes in Tottenham’s 3-3 draw against LASK. There are certainly question marks to be asked about his shot-stopping, especially when it comes to long-range strikers. However, Mourinho clearly believes that having a personality like Hart in the changing room is crucial to changing the team’s mentality. Perhaps, the Spurs boss believes that the winning mentality that the goalkeeper brings and the positive influence he has on the squad is worth more than the odd goal he is likely to cost the side.
Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
