Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart. (Inset) New City signing Willy Caballero.
England goalkeeper Joe Hart faces a tough battle to keep his No 1 spot at Manchester City next season.
City boss Manuel Pellegrini sees £6milion summer signing Willy Caballero as providing real competition for Hart who was pictured last week partying in Las Vegas with international teammate Jack Wilshere after England’s disastrous early exit from the World Cup.
Pellegrini, who managed Caballero at La Liga side Malaga, is unconvinced by Hart’s kicking and judgement as he seeks a modern ‘keeper sweeper’ in the mould of Manuel Neuer.
While Hart’s physical attributes are of huge benefit in ordinary Premier League games, they are not as important against top clubs or in the Champions League.
Hart was dropped for two months last season after rushing from his goal to allow Fernando Torres to score a late winning goal for Chelsea against City.
Significantly, Pellegrini was asked whether he could sign an English understudy to Hart following the departure of Costel Pantilimon to boost City’s homegrown quota.
But the manager insisted he went overseas for 32-year-old Caballero knowing that a reliable goalkeeper is vital for City’s chances in Europe. They have failed to get past the round of 16 in the Champions League despite an investment of more than £1billion since 2008.
Caballero helped Malaga reach the Champions League quarter-finals in 2013 in a team that also boasted Martin Demichelis. The Spaniards were only eliminated by an injury-time goal by eventual finalists Borussia Dortmund.
It will be interesting to see how Hart reacts to the first serious threat to his long-term place at City. He said in interviews last season that being left out by Pellegrini had been a kick up the backside.
But the 27-year-old failed to impress at the World Cup and knows he can not afford to be on the sidelines for the majority of the season. For a quiet and undemonstrative man, Pellegrini has displayed an enormous amount of independence since succeeding Roberto Mancini at The Etihad and was rewarded by winning the Premier League and League Cup last season.
He has resisted the long-term plan of the club’s former Barcelona executives Feran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain to duplicate the tactics of Pep Guardiola, who they still want to lure to The Etihad Stadium when he leaves Bayern Munich. (Daily Mail)