Joe Hart hasn’t been a part of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City plans since he took over the team back in 2016, so why is he taking Joe Hart to America?
Possible reasons behind Joe Hart’s inclusion in Manchester City’s pre-season tour
When he came to Manchester City, Guardiola brought Claudio Bravo over with him to replace Joe Hart as the No.1 goalie. Hart wasn’t content, but accepted the decision and was eventually loaned out to Torino. Last summer, Ederson was bought to be the new No.1, transferring backup duties over to Claudio Bravo and leaving no space for Hart (again). Another loan move was arranged, this time with West Ham United. His mixed spells in both clubs didn’t do anything to convince Guardiola to rethink his position. Furthermore, Hart lost his spot in England’s national team.
Our US Tour travelling squad in full! ⚽️🇺🇸 #mancity pic.twitter.com/DjXX9hKHfl
— Manchester City (@ManCity) July 17, 2018
The 31-year-old hasn’t been able to find his old form and has acknowledged his faith. He has no future with The Citizens, so it’s time to move on. A permanent deal somewhere else is what he’s looking for. With 12 months left on his contract, there isn’t a queue for his services. Most clubs would prefer to wait until his contract runs out and sign him on a free deal rather than pay a fee to Man-City in order to acquire him now. He needs to prove himself in order for a club to be willing to invest in him. That might be the reason why Guardiola is taking him on this pre-season tour. A couple of good performances could attract someone’s attention.
A less likely reason could be that Guardiola is actually contemplating giving Joe Hart another opportunity, or, Manchester City’s manager could simply be calling up Hart because Ederson is still on vacation. Either way, unless a club strikes a deal with City soon, Hart will spend another season as a loaned player.
International Champions Cup
Manchester City’s U.S. tour is part of the International Champions Cup, a pre-season tournament hosted by 22 cities across three continents. It kicks off on 20th July with a match between Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund at Soldier Field in Chicago. Guardiola’s men then face Liverpool in New York (July 25), before taking on Bayern Munich in Miami (July 28).
Manchester City’s pre-season tour squad
Claudio Bravo, Joe Hart, Aymeric Laporte, Leroy Sane, Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy, Tosin Adarabioyo, Riyad Mahrez, Patrick Roberts, Jason Denayer, Daniel Grimshaw, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Douglas Luiz, Jack Harrison, Lukas Nmecha, Phil Foden, Aro Muric, Eric Garcia, Nabil Touaizi, Brahim Diaz, Iker Pozo, Tom Dele-Bashiru, Benjamin Garre, Luke Bolton, Cameron Humphries, Rabbi Matondo, Tyreke Wilson, Nathanel Ogbeta.