England goalkeeper Joe Hart recognises that his Manchester City career is over for as long as Pep Guardiola is in charge, and he is expecting to see out the season in Serie A with Torino.
“I’ve not been sent here to see how I do or see if I improve. I’ve been sent out because I wasn’t wanted,” the 29-year-old told Sky Sports television on Thursday of his loan move to Italy.
“I’m not here to prove what I can do, I’m here because I need to look elsewhere and I didn’t have a chance to sort anything permanently. I want to do as well as I can for Torino and if somebody comes in for me I don’t think Manchester City are going to stand in my way.”
Hart said a conversation with Guardiola on his return from Euro 2016 in France left him in no doubt where he stood in the new City manager’s estimation.
The goalkeeper made some costly errors in a group stage match against Wales and failed to stop Kolbeinn Sigthorsson’s winner in a shock 2-1 defeat by Iceland that knocked England out in the last 16.
The player said at the time that it had not been “his finest hour”. I came in after the other players because of the Euros and when we first had a conversation he said he had his reservations about me,” added Hart.
“I shook his hand, I said it was professionally honest but not what I wanted to hear. I said I wanted to work for him and see what happens but I got the impression that it wasn’t really going anywhere. I got the feeling I wasn’t going to play,” said Hart.
City bought Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo from Barcelona, Guardiola’s former club, for an initial $19.13 million in July.
“The goalkeeper he signed was a good goalkeeper,” said Hart.
